Sunrise
by Nerd314
Summary: A new lullaby, Broadway, and acceptance. My take on what Breaking Dawn might be like. First fanfic. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Engaged

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, unfortunately.**

I was scared. Edward grasped my hand, but it was to little avail. I knew it had to be done, but still. Facing Charlie was not my idea of a fun time. We traveled down the road at an amazing speed, and yet the car stayed perfectly within every curve and bend. The speed, and therefore shortening time, was doing nothing to calm my nerves. I glanced up at Edward, who was staring anxiously down at me.

"Are you sure you are okay? I could ask him for permission to ask you first. That way, I'll receive most of the wrath."

I shook my head. I was scared that Charlie would deny Edward, making it imperative that he expressly disobey him, which probably would not be beneficial to being at peace with Charlie until the time that we went to 'college'. Edward squeezed my hand comfortingly, and I began to think of ways I could break the news to Charlie. Should I lead up to it, or just announce it? Should Edward be in the room? Yes. If I was going to make it through the experience without relapsing into shock, I would need him beside me.

We passed the "Welcome to Forks" sign, and I began hyperventilating. It was quite embarrassing. Edward looked concerned, and began to slow the car down. I tried to collect myself, but I couldn't. There was no longer anything safe to think about. I looked up into Edward's face, to see the love and worry written into every line. He released my hand, and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Everything is going to be okay Bella, I promise."

I wanted so much to believe those sparkling eyes, but I couldn't. However his velvety voice calmed me down a little, and I was able to return to my regular breathing pattern. Edward had taken my hand again, and the way he handled it so gently helped me gain control. I decided that I would avoid the hyperventilating again by thinking something completely and totally random. So I began practicing the game Renee had taught me when I was seven. I chose country names, and began. A is for America, B is for Bolivia, C is for Canada, D is for Denmark, E is for England, F is for

The car stopped, and Edward hopped out. He moved quickly around the car, opening the door for me. It took me a second to realize we were actually there. I climbed out of the car, and Edward wrapped me in his arms.

"I'll be there, the whole time. Don't worry. It is going to be fine."

I tried to smile up at him, but my emotions were just too confused for that. He gave me a light simple kiss on the forehead, and let me go, except for a hand. He led me to the door, and opened that for me too. I walked in, and noticed that Charlie was watching the game, as always.

"Hey Bella, is that you?"

"Yes Charlie, Edward and I are both here." I was still worrying about how to bring up the topic of the afternoon. I looked into the kitchen and saw a loaf of bread sitting out. No doubt Charlie had made himself a piece of toast and forgot to even fold the bag back under. I felt the bread, and it was still pretty moist, so I twisted up the bag and put it back in the pantry. Edward watched me in silence, glancing furtively at my ring. I knew it would probably be beneficial to explain what was happening to my dad before he saw it, but I couldn't.

"So, what have you two been up to this morning?"

I walked into the living room and began to talk. "Actually, I need to talk to you about that." I couldn't believe I was speaking. This wasn't happening, it wasn't. "Edward proposed to me this morning, and I accepted." I waited in absolute silence. Charlie's face looked absolutely stunned. I could feel Edward's presence standing behind me. I wanted him to grab me and run before my father unleashed the horrible wrath of doom.

"What ever happened to asking the father's permission first? Bella you are only 18, how could you even consider getting married?" He rose from his seat and began to wave his arms wildly. I could see that my father was becoming severely flustered. Thankfully, Edward intervened.

"I am sorry sir, for not asking your permission. I meant no disrespect by it. However we are asking now for you to accept our decision."

"Well, I ummmm"

"Dad, I love Edward. I know this is the right choice, and I would like your support on my decision." Charlie was temporarily stunned. I never called him Dad. I was slightly shocked too. I didn't know where it, or the idea of speaking again, had come from.

"If this is truly what you want Bella. But I really think you should wait at least 2 years. It is reckless to get married so young and with so little experience."

"I know what I want Charlie, and I don't want to waste time. I see the wisdom in waiting, but I can't. Please understand." I hoped he remembered when he and Renee were young, and marriage seemed like the next big adventure, the perfect course of action.

"Well, when you put it that way. I still don't like the idea, but you have my full permission."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, and I wrapped him in a warm hug. He hugged me back, a bit surprised. I sensed Edward waiting behind me. I turned around and flashed a smile. He had been right, it had worked out. Now there was just Renee to worry about . . .


	2. Chapter 2: Renee

After exiting Charlie's embrace, Edward and I excused ourselves to my room. Edward held on tightly to my hand, and guided me up the stairs, as if I was going to trip. Which wasn't highly unlikely. I followed his guidance gratefully. I felt a bit weak in the knees from the experience with Charlie, and I didn't want to end up as a crumpled mess on the floor. We got into the room, and Edward closed the door behind us. Almost immediately his arms were around me.

"You were amazing Bella. I don't think I ever imagined your father taking it so well." He smiled, and sat down on the bed, pulling me along. I leaned against him, and relaxed. I would worry about Renee later. I felt his hand stroking my hair. I wanted to sit like this forever, just us with very little to worry us. Yet even as I thought this, I remembered the large amount of problems we had to face. The Volturi, the treaty, the wedding, my first couple years as a vampire, and of course Jacob. I wondered how he was dealing.

"You're very quiet. What are you thinking about?" His soft voice shattered my train of thought, and it took me a second to compose coherent words.

"Just worrying about it only getting harder from here." It was true. Until I had been a vampire for several years, my life was only going to get harder to live. At least I would have Edward by my side for every minute of it.

"It is going to be okay Bella. I promise. I wont let you get hurt." I snuggled into his chest, grateful for his presence. His arms formed a protective circle around me. He put his face to the top of my head, and we just sat there, soaking in each other's presence. A car drove by, startling us both out of our silent reveries.

"So how do you plan on breaking the news to Renee?" Edward asked me.

"I have no clue. I don't think she will take it well no matter how I do it. I should probably get on it soon, before Charlie somehow tells her." Edward nodded in affirmation. I picked up the house phone and began dialing the familiar number.

"Hello. This is Renee, may I ask who is calling?"

"Hey Mom, it's me, Bella."

"Bella! My amazing high school graduate! Are you enjoying your summer so far?"

"Yes Mom. The weather here has been pretty nice for Forks, and I have been spending lots of time out and about." How far out and with who, my mother would never guess. The day of the fight, I had been well high in the mountains, in the freezing cold. And then Victoria had decided to show her face. At least that was one problem I no longer had to worry about. "Hey Mom, I need to tell you something."

"What?"

I could barely force the words out of my mouth. "Edward and I are getting married."

There was silence on the other end of the line then suddenly she exploded. "How could you Bella! Your only 18! You have your whole life ahead of you! Don't throw it away. No guy is worth getting married this early. You tell him no right this instant. Marriage is not a viable option for you at this moment."

"Mom, calm down. Everything will be okay, I promise. I know what I am getting into."

"No you don't Bella. Call it off, NOW."

"No can do Mom. I love Edward. I can't imagine life without him now. I need him."

"That's called obsession. It is quite unhealthy. You need to end this relationship now." The edge of panic in her voice was just as strong as it was when she first reacted.

"Mom, I promise it will be okay. Please, I really want you to understand my choice."

"No. I refuse to let this happen. You can't get married Bella." I didn't know how to respond anymore.

"Hey Mom, I'll call you back. Think about it some more.

"I don't need time to think, marriage is a bad idea!"

"Bye mom, love you." And with that I hung up the phone. Edward pulled me closer to him, and gave me a light, chaste kiss.

"I think you handled that one rather well also."

"Well, if causing someone to scream until their tonsils bleed is handling it well, I would agree." He chuckled, and kissed me again.

"So, what would like to do with our remaining hours of daylight?"

"Can we head over to your house? I just need to relax."

"Of course." Edward stood up, and I did too. We exited the room, and my father yelled from the living room.

"So where are you kids going?"

"We are going over to Cullens, Charlie. Will you be okay for dinner?"

"Sure. I'll have to get used to cooking for myself again anyways when you head off to school."

I exited the front door, with Edward right behind me. He walked in front of me, and opened the car door once again. I climbed in, and with milliseconds he was beside me. The comforting purr of the engine began, and I began relaxing every part of my body. It was over. I had told my parents, and it was only a matter of time before everyone in Forks knew. I stroked the ring on my finger, admiring once again the exquisite detail and beautiful diamonds. Edward noticed this, and slipped his fingers inbetween mine.

"You are so beautiful today." I looked down at my apparel. I wasn't wearing anything special. In fact, I couldn't see anything beautiful about myself except for the ring and bracelet. I didn't think I would ever be able to see what Edward saw in me. Edward brought up both our hands, and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. The touch sent shivers through my spine. He smiled, and turned onto the familiar path. We were almost to his house. He stopped the car and slid out. Once I was out, we walked up to his house. Alice appeared at the doorway.

"I knew Charlie would be agreeable. So we need to talk invitations."

"Can't Bella have a break?"

"I already have a couple designed. You two just need to pick the final one. It should probably go with the colors for the wedding, so we'll need to decide on that too."

"Blue." I stated. I didn't care what else Alice added, but from the few times I had imagined my perfect wedding as a girl, everything was blue.

"What shade though? And how many color complements, and which?"

"I don't care." We were now well inside of the house. Edward's hand was encased protectively around mine, and he seemed ready to get out.

"Well at least pick an invitation." I noticed it then. A wide array of invitations were spread out across the dining table. From the random scraps here and there, it seemed as if Alice had designed and constructed each and every one. Each card contained more frill than I wanted in the entire wedding. I picked the one that was the least frilly, but it still contained layers of paper and intricate details. I pointed to it.

"How about this one without the bow and the flower design on the right?" Edward nodded behind me, as if to say 'I go with whatever she says'.

"Oh, Bella, you are no fun. Weddings are supposed to be frilly!"

"Not mine. If I designed the invitation, it would be in Times New Roman on computer paper, so just be grateful I'm allowing this much."

"Fine then. So do you want the invitations on blue paper?"

"I don't care Alice. Just send the invitations."

"Alright then. I'll take care of everything else. Now run along upstairs and leave me to the real work." Edward seemed relieved, and grabbed me. We were up the stairs in seconds.


	3. Chapter 3: Blue

We were on his couch, and before I could even breathe, Edward had put music on. It was something classical, but I didn't recognize it. He pulled me close to his body, and lifted my chin. He knew what I wanted. His face met mine, and his lips molded against mine for several exhilarating seconds, and then moved away again all too soon. I put my head to his chest, and he stroked my hair ever so softly. We could have sat there for hours, just thinking. But then Edward broke the silence.

"Why blue?" I took a second to consider how to answer.

"When I was little, I once planned out my entire wedding. One of my most vibrant memories of the scene was that everyone was wearing varying shades of blue. I don't remember why, I didn't even like blue that much. I just remember it being a very peaceful feeling with all that blue. Of course, I don't expect my whole wedding to be blue. That would be quite ugly now that I really think about it. But that image has kind of stuck with me."

"If Alice wanted to, she could make it look almost as beautiful as you. However, to keep this wedding simple, it is probably best to keep in the reins on that girl."

I laughed. "Like we could. I have a feeling this wedding will be fancier and frillier than dinner at the white house."

"You are probably right. You could always rescind the offer, or have more limitations. I would back you up."

"No, I'll let Alice have her fun. The formalities will be painful no matter how it is done, so someone might as well enjoy it."

"Are you sure? I don't want marrying me to be one of the worst experiences of your life."

"As long as you next to me, it wont be." I kissed him, and he responded. Our lips moved together, he pulled my body closer to him, deepening the kiss. I leaned into him, enjoying each and every second of it. Then he broke it off. I was breathing quite loudly, and it was embarrassing. But Edward just smiled and stroked my cheek. The music changed to something a bit more fast-paced and enlivening, but still classical.

"What are we listening to?" I asked him.

He smiled, "Tchaikovsky. He has always been one of my favorites. Other than Debussy, he is usually my first choice when I feel like classical. This is from his ballet 'Swan Lake'."

"You listen to ballet?" I said, in a teasing tone.

"Yes, I do. Is it a crime to like beautiful music that has been used in a timeless dance?"

"No. Just different. Not many guys would let the word ballet escape their lips."

"Well, I'm not exactly like other guys am I?" I shook my head. He smiled, and kissed me quickly on the forehead. "I composed a new song. Do you want to hear?" I nodded again. He pulled me up into his arms, and then we were at the piano downstairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice. There was a huge stack of invitations beside her, rivaling the Empire State Building. Who was she inviting anyways? I was comforted by the fact I had the guest list veto, but I was still a bit worried. More people meant a bigger room, which meant more frills, and a longer ceremony. Her hands were moving quite quickly between all of the supplies. Every couple of seconds a new one joined the pile.

I was distracted as Edward began to play. The beginning was very light and simple, and seemed to float across the room. It deepened and strengthened, becoming more complicated with a hint of my lullaby. Then a new melody came in. It seemed slightly dark and it slowly became more sinister. I was glued to my seat, scared that if I turned around Victoria would be standing right behind me. I knew it was irrational, but it still freaked me out all the same. I scooted closer to Edward, and he smiled. The music became dramatic, and then it returned to the original melody, but there was still a hint of sadness. The music slowly started to build again, when it suddenly became unbearably depressing. It stayed like that for a while. Yet in the sadness, there was beauty. I found this beauty when suddenly Edward hit the piano hard. I was startled and stared in amazement as his fingers started running quickly across the keys in a series of disharmonious notes. I was starting to get an idea of what was an inspiration for his song when my lullaby broke through once again, and the runs stopped. Yet only seconds later a new dark force appeared. Yet the sweetness of another melody still prevailed throughout. Finally the dark presence was gone, and the rest of the piece consisted of a variety of melodies each more beautiful than the last. I began to cry. Then there was a series of quick notes up the piano, and the piece completely changed. It was still joyful, but it had changed, as if running on a different beat. Slowly it got quieter and quieter until it faded.

"It's our story." I said. He smiled, nodded, and then began playing my lullaby. But it had changed. Somehow he had made it sweeter, more serene, and comforting. After a bit, this was over too. He smiled and took my hand.

"I should get you home now. Charlie is probably getting worried." I just nodded, and we walked out to the car. Alice had disappeared, and I was glad. I was too overwhelmed with emotion to talk to anyone right now. Somehow Edward sensed this, and the car ride was completely silent. He didn't even put any music in, a rare event for him. When we got to the house, he slipped out, and was opening my door. I got out, still a bit wobbly. He pulled into his cold embrace and whispered into my ear.

"I love you so much Bella. You've changed my life forever." I had known this for a long time, but it hit me again, like the night I woke up after we returned from Italy. Before I could react he pulled me into a kiss. It was so gentle and sweet, that I could barely handle it. I actually began to sob. Edward took me into the back of the car and sat me down. I curled into him, shaking. He stroked my hair, kissing the top of my head. I began to calm down slightly. He held me there until I had stopped crying.

"Are you okay?" He said tenderly.

"I'm fine."

"Then why the tears?"

"I'm just so happy. You've done everything for me, and taken nothing in return. I don't deserve you, yet here we are."

"You've given me more than I thought a person can give, and I don't deserve you."

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you too." We sat there for a minute, locked in each other's embrace. Then Edward stirred.

"Time to get you inside. Charlie is probably wondering what we are doing out here." Edward opened the door once again, and helped me out. I slowly regained the ability to walk as we approached the door. When we reached the top, he leaned down and kissed me once again.

"I'll see you when Charlie is asleep," he whispered in my ear. I walked into the house and closed the door behind me, taking a quick glance at his glorious face.

"Hey Bella. What did you two do?"

"Not much. Alice wants to plan the wedding, and is already working on a color scheme."

"Oh. How long has she known?" I didn't know whether to lie to my father, or tell him the half-truth that we told her first (in reality, she had seen it). I decided to lie, to protect his feelings.

"We just told her, and all the other Cullens. But you saw how she set up the driveway for the party. Whenever there is a party involved, Alice has to do everything to the max, which means she wants to get started right away."

"Oh. Well, I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to hit the sack. Just know that you can always back out Bella."

"I know Charlie, but I don't think I will." He humphed a little and walked up the stairs. I turned to the kitchen to see the disaster area. There were dishes strewn everywhere. It looked like my father had had a sandwich, and made his own side salad. There was lettuce, a half cut tomato, carrots, dressing, and other sundry items. I began to clean it up, putting all the food back into the fridge. I washed the dishes, and walked back up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4: Emma

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Once I reached my room I changed into my PJ's. When we had visited my mother in Jacksonville she returned the ones from Victoria's Secret I had left when I first came to Forks. They were so soft, and silky. I brushed my teeth and returned to the room. Edward wasn't there yet, so I tidied up a bit. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my collection of Jane Austen novels. I couldn't resist, so I picked up the tattered set. After 3 or 4 minutes of internal debate, I chose Emma. It had always been one of my favorites of the bunch, and I hadn't read it recently. I began to get lost in Emma's idealistic matchmaking when Edward came in the window.

"How are you?" he asked, with real worry in his voice.

"I'm fine." He closed the window behind him, and slipped onto my bed. His arms wrapped around my waist.

"Emma?"

"Yes. I felt like reading about someone who messed up in love worse than anyone, and yet still got the right guy in the end."

"I feel bad for Mr. Knightley. She is proposed to by one man, and used by another, and yet he has loved her since she was 13. Emma is so blind in love that she doesn't even notice he likes her until the very end. Luckily he got her, but it must have been pure torture to watch her and Churchill."

"I think the character who gets it the worst is Harriet. Emma convinces her to wait for Mr. Elton who then proposes to Emma instead. Then she basically cons her into saying no to the perfect man. After a year of trying to get her with the rich men, she finally lets her go off with Martin. Harriet was deprived a year of happiness and forced to endure heartbreak, jealousy, and confusion, just because Emma was convinced that she could matchmake."

"I guess I would have to concur. Harriet really does get the sour end of the deal. Yet everyone got who they really wanted in the end, so it really isn't that bad for all involved."

" I wonder what would have happened if Mr. Knightley had proposed sooner. Would Emma have realized she liked him, or laughed him off as she did Mr. Elton?"

"I think she would have laughed him off, and if he had been gentlemanly enough to wait and stay in her good confidence, eventually she would wake up to her mistake. However if his pride had been wounded, and he had left her company, it would never have worked out between them. Overall, I think he made the right choice."

"Hmm." I then proceeded to yawn, quite against my will.

"Well, it looks like it is time for someone to go to bed." Edward said, pulling me down next to him. I placed the collection of Austen's works on my desk and snuggled into him. He began humming my lullaby, starting out with the original, then leading into the more complex new version. I relaxed in his arms, and fell asleep in his caring embrace.

The next morning I awoke, groggy, with Edward in just the same position as when I had fallen asleep. He kissed me lightly, better than any alarm clock. I was wide awake in seconds. He smiled, and released me from his arms. The sheets felt cold in comparison to his body. I rolled back into him again. He smiled, and smoothed my hair against my back.

"Charlie is still asleep."

"Mmmmm." I was fine just staying in his arms for the rest of the day. We didn't exactly need to be anywhere. I didn't have work anymore, and school was over. The same sort of thoughts seemed to be running through his head.

"Do you want to do something with me today?"

"What?"

"You wont know till you agree. And you can't rescind."

"That isn't fair."

"I never said I played fair."

"Alright then, I agree." Anything with Edward was better than staying home alone.

"Okay then, you best get dressed."

"Wait, what are we doing?"

"Oh, you'll find out."

"Not cool. I know now, or I'm not going."

"I told you, no rescinding."

"No. I'm not going unless you tell me what we are doing."

"Guess I'll go with Alice. She won't enjoy it as much."

"Just give me a general idea."

"We're going to a show."

"Where?"

"Broadway."

**AN: I know this chapter is a bit shorter, and a little Emma focused, but hopefully the next one will be better. Please critique, I need to improve my horrible skills.**


	5. Chapter 5: Muffins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilght.**

**A/N: According to the Twilight Lexicon, the date is Sunday June 16****th**** 2006 at this point in my story. I am going to try and stick to those dates, as I have OCD and everything must line up. So yeah, I just thought I would point this out as dating may become more prevalent as time goes on.**

"No. I'm not letting you spend that kind of money on me." How could Edward do this to me? He knew I didn't like it when he bought me anything. Especially expensive things. And Broadway was the epitomy of spending too much. Shows were costly, as were the meals, and a cab. No, just no. He couldn't do this.

"Already spent," he said, a slight smirk smeared across his face.

"Well give it to Ben and Angela or something. I don't want it," What had he been thinking? Just two days ago there had been a major battle, and now he was planning to force a girl to go to Broadway against her will. Where did he come up with it? My mind was a turbulent mess, and I could barely think enough to hear his next sentence.

"Well, I definitely want to go, so I guess you'll have to stay here by yourself." Now that was just cold. He knew the last thing I wanted was to be left home alone. In fact, I would rather jump off a cliff with him than stay home without him. Not that he wouldn't save me as I fell.

"Please," he whispered into my ear, his nose trailing down my neck. That was nearly impossible to resist.

"No." Yet I considered giving in. What girl didn't dream of seeing a Broadway show with her willing boyfriend? No, I was going soft. He couldn't spend money on me! We had agreed. At least I thought we had. I felt his lips press against my neck again, and they slowly moved up to mine. Our lips met for an eternity, and then I broke it.

"I guess we can go," I said, giving in, vowing to not let it happen the next time. He smiled, and pulled me off the bed.

"Now you really need to get ready if we are going to catch the plane in time."

"What about Charlie?" I asked. I couldn't imagine my father giving me permission to go halfway cross the country with my fiancée.

"I already talked to him. He was actually pretty excited about it. He wants you to have fun Bella. Plus, I told him Carlisle and Esme are coming along. They will be on the plane, but once we get to New York we'll go on divergent paths. Please don't worry Bella. I have figured everything out." He tucked my hair behind my ear gently. I opened my closet and saw that there was a new outfit waiting right in front. Alice. It was a soft green sweater with comfortable looking brown slacks. I grabbed it down from the hanger. I turned and Edward grabbed me into a hug.

"Charlie will be awake any second now. I'll be back in half an hour to pick you up." His lips met mine once more, and then he was out the window. Once he was gone, my head cleared and I got ready for the day. I couldn't believe I had actually let him convince me. I wouldn't fall for it the next time. This was going to be the last time he ever spent more than 5 dollars on me.

After finally deciding this and coming up with every possible excuse for next time, my clothes were on. They were amazingly comfortable. I could fall asleep in them if I wanted to. Yet they looked more than nice enough for Broadway. I couldn't resist the temptation, and I twirled around my room a couple times. The clothes were so light, it felt like I could lift off into the air. But then there was a knock at the door.

"Bella. Are you up? Edward told me you two were going to Broadway today, and I don't want you to be late."

"Yeah, I am up. I'll be down to make some breakfast in a minute."

"No need. Someone left a muffin basket on the doorstep." Who could that have been? Edward wouldn't have. He knew better than to surprise me and then buy me breakfast. I might have broken down. Actually I probably would have if my father hadn't been on the other side of the door. I didn't like surprises. Or big fusses.

"Alright. See you in a minute Dad." I twirled around my room a couple more times, and then grabbed my hair stuff. I attacked my hair, and it formed some semblance of something pretty. Once I was as done as my hair could ever allow, I went downstairs. On the table was a muffin basket. There was a note beside it labeled 'Bella'. I opened the note and found this.

_Bella,_

_Thank you so much for the tickets. Ben and I had a great time. I made you these muffins, although they will never amount to the gift you gave us. Thank you so much!_

_Angela_

Angela had always been a good friend, courteous, kind, and understanding. Now I had to leave her. I knew it was for something better, but it still hurt. Why couldn't we just turn everyone into vampires? Then I wouldn't have to say goodbye to everyone. Everything would be so much easier. However, I knew this wistful fantasy was just that, a fantasy. It was horribly unrealistic, and none of the Cullens would ever agree to it. I set the note back on the table and unwrapped a muffin. It was poppyseed, my favorite of the non-chocolate muffins. To top it all off, it was the best poppyseed muffin I had ever eaten. Just as I was cleaning up the mess of crumbs I invariably made every time I ate something crumbly, Edward knocked. I wiped my hands off, and went to the door. Edward smiled when he saw me, and grabbed me into a very tight hug. I smiled up at him just as Charlie came in. He coughed, and we broke apart.

"Thank you so much for allowing me to take your daughter, Charlie. I promise she will be back in 5 days, safe and sound."

"5?" I asked. I had assumed we were pulling a vampire stunt, going to Broadway and making it back before 11 that night. I should have known better. Like Alice, Edward never did things halfway. He just didn't do stuff like this very often. What could possibly have caused him to want to go anyways?

He smiled, "Silly, Bella, did you forget already? I would assume after having your heart set on seeing Broadway that you would remember these things better." In that second I caught on. Part of convincing Charlie to let me go was Edward telling him that I desperately wanted to see it for myself. I decided to play his game, just so we could get out of the house.

"I remember. It just seems so short now. Only 5 days. What I would give to stay for 2 weeks."

"Now Bella, that would be very irresponsible to just leave for 2 weeks to see something you only recently decided you liked. Especially when you would be driving your _required_ parental supervision around when at least one of them has a job to be getting back to." Charlie was very defensive, as if he had set the deadline himself. His arms were folded in front of his chest, and it looked like he was focusing on radiating authority.

"Five days. I promise. However, we need to leave now or we will miss the flight. Bella go grab your bag." I hadn't packed anything, but I knew better than to say anything. I ran up the stairs, and grabbed the bag on my bed. It seemed chuck full, but I did not have time to see what was inside. I had just made it through the door when I bumped into Edward.

"I'll take that," he said as he deftly removed the bag from my hands. I had to admit it was heavy, and I was grateful he was helping. But did he have to assume that I needed help with everything? I did possess a ragtag set of muscles that performed most actions the correct way. Well, except for in Gym, or when there was something to trip over. But still. Edward easily held the bag, bringing it easily down the stairs. Charlie, was standing near the open door. Edward walked out, and just before I made it out, Charlie grabbed me.

"Now, I know you will have parental supervision at all times, and that he has promised that nothing will happen. But people get carried away. Bella, please, for me, be careful. Don't take any stupid risks and think everything through. I want you coming home to me in one piece, both physically and emotionally." I nodded. This is what any father would want. He was being completely rational.

"I will Dad, don't worry. I want to come back in one piece." And with that, I walked out of the house towards Edwards smiling figure.

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated. Stupid Science Fair of DOOM! Hopefully the story gets much better, for all you people's who are bored out of your skulls.**


	6. Chapter 6: Airport

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Or Barbie.**

We were in the car, racing towards the airport. Edward was holding my hand across the seat. I was so happy to just be there that it took me a couple minutes to remember to ask him where the bag had come from, and what was in it. When I asked him, he smirked.

"Alice packed it last night. Before I knocked, I snuck up and placed it on your bed. All the clothes in there are completely new. There are also a couple other human things she thinks you'll need."

"And the 5 days?" I honestly wondered how he convinced Charlie, and why he had kept me in the dark about it.

"Well, I wanted to take you to more than one show. And that also leaves plenty of time to do something else in New York." He didn't answer what I really wanted to know.

"How did you convince Charlie?"

"I explained to him the importance of experiencing it to you, and how neither of us wanted to wait for a honeymoon to go there. The amount of time was not that hard when I reasoned that it wasn't going to be easy to visit once we were in college, and that you need at least 5 days to really accomplish anything."

"So why didn't you tell me the whole plan up front? You know I don't like surprises."

"You never would have agreed. I had to spring it on you, and force your hand. Don't worry, it will be worth it." The first part was true. I would never have let him spend that kind of money on me for any reason. Even for an operation that would save my life. I wasn't sure about the second part.

"It'll be fine. I promise this will be one of the best weeks of your life." Edward squeezed my hand comfortingly, and then started rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand, caressing it. I leaned back into the seat, closing my eyes. I focused on the sensation of his hand in mine. Within seconds we were at the airport. It felt like the trip had taken 5 minutes, but when I looked at the clock a good half hour had passed. Edward parked, and across the lot I saw Esme and Carlisle. I waved, and they both smiled and walked towards us. Edward now had two matching bags in his hands, and the car beeped as he shut the trunk. We all walked into the airport. Esme talked a bit about some of the shows she and Carlisle were going to see. It all seemed a bit surreal. I wondered how I had gotten here, when just two days ago I was freezing at the top of a mountain, kissing Jake.

Jake. The thought of him stabbed me in the gut. My sun was gone. I knew it was the right thing. There was no way I could have him and Edward, so I had to move on. But could he? Edward seemed to sense I was worrying, and he pulled me closer, and whispered in my ear.

"Please Bella, just trust me. Nothing will happen, and we'll have tons of fun." We were now at the baggage drop off. Edward handed the lady both of our bags, and signed a couple things. We got our tickets and walked to the gate. Security was a breeze, and then we were boarding the plane. Edward walked back two rows, and then scooted in next to the window. He had bought first class tickets. I suddenly felt like I was going to shoot him. I would have been just fine with coach. He was wasting more money on me. I sat down defiantly, sighing as I landed into my seat.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. Did you want the window seat?" As a matter of fact, I kind of did. The idea of going to New York was growing on me, and I wanted to see it first as an aerial view out the window. But I didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

"No, I want to sit in coach."

"Ssshh Bella. I didn't spend any extra money. I upgraded our seats with the points we earned from the flights to and from Italy." I had a feeling that it had taken a lot more points than that, but I stayed quiet. I was a bit tired of arguing with Edward every step of the way. Edward kissed me lightly on the forehead, and then asked again.

"Did you want the window seat? I'll move." I nodded, suddenly free of all resistance to his melodic voice. He got up, and moved forward to let me by. I slid into the seat next to the window, and he sat down next to me. I suddenly felt a little moody, like I hadn't gotten enough sleep, and now was suffering from the consequences. But that was ridiculous. I had slept more than 9 hours the night before. Edward folded up the armrest, and slid close to me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and I let my head drop onto his shoulder. The passing attendant frowned, and I felt Edward pull my seatbelt across my lap. I let him, even though we wouldn't be taking off for four or five more minutes. His snapped into place also. I realized Carlisle and Esme were sitting directly in front of us. They were talking amiably of shows they wanted to see, places they wanted to go.

"Where do you want to go Bella?" I frowned, a bit perplexed. Where did I want to go? I had never really thought about going to New York before. I knew I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, but nothing else really popped into mind.

"The Statue of Liberty."

"That can easily be arranged. Any shows?"

"I don't really know of any." It was true. Other than the Lion King, I didn't know of any shows on Broadway. And the Lion King was only because Renee had gotten something in the mail about it back when I lived in Phoenix. How long ago that seemed.

Edward then spent the rest of the ride describing certain shows. They all seemed pretty interesting. I couldn't decide between them. The plane began touching down, and Edward said to pick one, or else he would drag me to watch Barbie live on stage. I wasn't sure if that actually existed, but it forced my hand all the same.

"Wicked." I said. Who didn't want to see a play about witches and Oz?


	7. Chapter 7: New York

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: I have never actually been to New York, so please pardon my inaccuracies if there are any. Edward and Bella return to Forks on Friday June 21****st**

New York was so beautiful. It wasn't even nighttime yet, and it still had the picturesque beauty the movies always captured. And of course, each moment was made even better by the person always right next to me. Edward guided me through New York City, telling me about the history of the city. After we had gotten off the airplane, we had gone to lunch with Carlisle and Esme (or rather, I had eaten lunch while they all sat around me and talked), and then split up. Edward dragged me to a ticket booth and bought tickets to Wicked. Luckily he had agreed to buy tickets that were actually available, and didn't require lots of money. Somehow, he still managed to get pretty good seats. Since we had four or five hours before the show actually started, however, we explored the city, including the Empire State Building. We went to dinner after that, and it of course was very high end. I protested.

"Alright Bella. I know you don't like me spending money on you. I get it. But that isn't going to stop me. Can you please just let me spend as much on you as I want while we are here? Then when we get back to Forks, I'll do whatever you want to do. Promise." His eyes smoldered. I could tell he was using everything he could to try and convince me. His offer was tempting, so I gave in. Whatever I wanted seemed pretty broad . . .

"Fine. I guess I'll stop complaining." I said this is the most mopey way possible, with a bit of whiny teenager thrown in for good taste. Yet, almost before I had finished speaking, Edward's lips were against mine. After a few exhilarating seconds, he broke away.

"Thank you, Bella," he said.

Needless to say, the rest of the trip was amazing. We saw everything you could see in New York. You name it, we went there. We went to several Broadway plays of course, but my favorite was the first one. Wicked was quite an emotional journey that was the just the kind of girly story I enjoyed. Then Edward decided I had to go shopping. He said there was no point to going to New York and not buying anything, and as I had already agreed to let him spend money on me, I couldn't argue. After going to a gazillion stores, we ended up with several outfits for me, all of which Edward and I both loved. We also bought some cheesy souvenirs for everyone. Then Edward had forced me into a jewelry store. I had protested quite profusely to him buying me something when I already had the ring and charm. I argued that these were not items that were specific to New York, and therefore not part of the deal. He still decided to buy me a couple necklaces that would go well with my new outfits, and of course, my wedding dress. He probably would have bought a lot more, but I told him I was hungry so he would get out of there. I think he saw through the ploy, but we still left the store.

But the most expensive part was not the jewelry. Somehow he had gotten one of the largest suites I had ever seen. We had a view of all of Manhattan and beyond. The bed was also one of the most comfortable beds I had ever slept in. Every part of the room was stamped 'designer' in big letters. However, I gave up nitpicking, and just decided to enjoy it. Things would be going my way from now on anyways. Every night was amazing, going to sleep in the arms of my love overlooking the city. However, the third night was the best of all. After returning from seeing the Blue Man Group, Edward had asked me something outside the hotel.

"Bella, can we do one more thing tonight? I promise it wont cost any money."

"Tell me what it is first."

"Would you like to run through Central Park with me?

"Really?" Who could say they had run through Central Park with a vampire? Obviously not very many people, and I wanted to be one of them. It could never match up with our meadow, but the experience was too irresistible to pass up.

"Yes." His eyes shone with a fire-like intensity. I nodded, and he firmly grabbed my hand. Luckily our hotel was within walking distance of the park, so we were able to easily reach the park. Once there, Edward pulled me up onto his back, and I grabbed on. He started running, and it seemed faster than he had ever run in Forks. I hung on tightly, but I knew I was safe. The speed was exhilarating. After several minutes of weaving in and out of the trees, Edward sat me down, in a position similar to the first time after we had run. However, he didn't wait for me to catch my breath. His lips were on mine, forceful, wanting. I kissed him back passionately. I broke it off this time, and then leaned into his chest. He held me there for several minutes. After a small eternity, he let me go.

"You ready to go back?" Edward asked after kissing me on the forehead.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied. He smiled, and kissed me once again. This one was softer, and in a way it seemed kind. Like he would rather die than hurt me, which I already knew, but it just reaffirmed this truth. He picked me up once again, and brought me back to the hotel. As I went to sleep, he hummed my lullaby. He held me to him the whole night, and in my dreams I sensed his presence. The remaining days were just as remarkable, but tainted by the sadness of the trip already being halfway over.

After five days of New York, we went back to Forks, as Edward had promised Charlie we would. We had met up with Carlisle and Esme a couple times during the trip, but there was still a lot to discuss while in the airport. Carlisle and Esme had gone on several tours by helicopter, cruise ship, and of course bus. They described some of the sights we had missed. I was amazed by the large quantity of them all. Edward had dragged me all over the city, and yet there was still so many things we had never even glimpsed. We in turn told them of all the shows we had seen. We got on a plane, and were once again first class. I didn't protest this time, but the second we sat foot in Forks, there would no longer be any extraneous spending. Edward seemed to sense this, as he always did.

"Don't worry. No more trips. I promise." I smiled into his face, and he squeezed my hand.

"However, there is something to worry about. Alice called me last night with some more wedding plans. She has sent out the invitations. She said she had a vision that if you saw the list you would be fine with it, so she didn't even bother sending it." Fear pierced my heart. Alice had probably sent out invitations to all of Forks. And I wasn't entirely sure she had really had a vision, or didn't want her plans getting messed up by our excursion to New York. I had a feeling that Edward had specifically told her not to bug me with wedding plans during the trip. And then there was always the issue of her inviting the werewolves.

"She didn't send one to any of the werewolves. I made sure of that. You can always change your mind though. She has a couple extra invitations." I shook my head at this. I had already put Jacob through enough. He didn't need this too. And inviting the rest of the werewolves while not him would add insult to injury.

"I can't do it to them Edward." He once again sensed exactly what I meant, and that topic ended.

"There are a couple other things you should know. The date is officially Friday July 19th, four weeks from today to be exact. Alice has gotten some blue bridesmaid dresses, and is accenting the blue with a soft cream and some white. She described the blue as a 'slightly darker, basic, blue.' And she wasn't sure of who you wanted to be bridesmaids, so she ordered larger gowns and will take them in for whoever you pick. Finally, there was a bunch of little things like silverware she wanted me to tell you about, but I don't think it matters that much. Do you want to know?" My brain almost imploded from the large amount of information he had just related. I could almost see the wedding now, and it scared me a bit. Four weeks! And then I knew Alice would go crazy over all the stuff Edward had just bought me, and try and find the perfect bracelet to go with the necklace to go with the dress, and then of course shoes. I braced myself for the worst shopping trip of my life.

"No. I don't want to know what other horrors Alice is planning to inflict upon me." I replied to his question.

"We can still go to Vegas. I don't mind." His voice was quite serious, as if he thought this was what I really wanted. Well, I did want it, but I didn't want to let Alice and my family down more.

"No. I thought you said no more trips!" The tension seemed to lighten a bit, and a playful grin wiped across his face.

"I bet I could convince you to come on another one." Edwards face became awfully close to mine, and his breath danced across my face. I shook my head vehemently. He couldn't do it. He pulled away, but I had the feeling that if we were not in a public plane that would not have been the case.

"Excited to see Charlie again?" he asked earnestly.

"Yes. I'm so glad to be returning on good terms too." I thought back and realized that this was the first time I had returned home with Edward and not been making up a story to cover for the vampireness of each situation. With the exception of the midnight run, I could tell Charlie about all the parts of our trip, and it would seem like whatever any typical teenage couple would do in NY.

"Me too." Edward chuckled. We both fell silent, and I leaned my head into his chest. After a couple minutes we discussed some of the sights of NY once again until the plane touched down. Edward and I walked off the plane, and picked up our matching suitcases. I laughed as mine came out. It was a lot lighter. Alice had felt the need to pack me several massagers and hair dryers and straighteners that I would never use. Edward had given me permission to throw them away, as everyone at his house that needed one already had one. Instead, we had put the clothes we bought in the room that was left. I still couldn't believe that Alice thought I would actually use that stuff. However, I did appreciate the highly technical toothbrush she had bought me.

We walked out to the car hand and hand. Carlisle and Esme were waiting outside, and drove off when they saw us. We waved, and climbed in Edward's car. The familiar hum of the engine thrummed beneath my feet, and I found myself home within minutes. Edward and I got out of the car, and before we walked up the driveway, he kissed me quite deeply. He broke off way too quickly, and half-pulled me the rest of the way to the door. My legs were a bit wobbly from the kissing, and he laughed at my increased clumsiness. At the door, I let myself in, and he followed.


	8. Chapter 8: Home

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated. Life has just been way too crazy. In fact, I probably shouldn't be updating right now, but whatever. Please kill this chapter and rip it apart. Criticism is good.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

"Hey Bella! How was New York?" Charlie yelled from the couch over a game.

"It was great Charlie! Thanks so much for letting me go. We'll just drop my bags up in my room and be straight back down." New York really was great, but it felt so good to be home. The smell, the coziness, and the yellow cupboards all comforted me. We climbed the stairs, Edward's hand placed on my lower back as the other hand held the suitcases. As we climbed, I continued to soak in the glories of being here, back with Charlie. Then it hit me. I couldn't stay here forever. In fact, I would be forced to leave quite soon, and never return. I stumbled a bit, and Edward caught me. My eyes were brimming with tears, and I could see a panicked look in Edwards. It was only a couple more steps to my room, and I somehow made it. I collapsed on the bed, shaking my head. Now was not the time for this. I needed to go back downstairs and talk to Charlie.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, rubbing my back, then kissing my forehead.

"Just a bit sad that I'll be leaving again, and so soon." I knew it would make him sad, but I also knew I was a horrible liar. Edward pulled me into his body, rocking me gently.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You can always back out." I started shaking my head even before he finished his last sentence.

"No, I made the right decision. And even if I went the other way I still would have to leave for college, so it makes no difference. But we need to go back downstairs." With this I wiped under my eyes and began to remove myself from Edward's grasp. He helped me out, and instead pulled me into a standing hug.

"I love you," he whispered. I leaned into him once again and whispered the same sentence back. He unhooked one arm, and then began to lead me out the door. I quickly glanced at myself in the mirror as we passed the bathroom, and it wasn't too obvious that I had been crying. I rubbed my eyes one more time, but I doubted it helped. Slowly we walked down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, Edward let go of all but my hand and turned towards the TV room. Charlie spotted us and turned the TV off.

"Come tell me all about your trip! Five days without you! I want a full report for all my suffering." I smiled, and began the story. I of course left out all of the expensive parts, especially the jewelry. And also the midnight outing to the park. The story was still extensive, and Charlie seemed satisfied with what I had told him. I made sure to talk about the plays a lot, as that had been the main reason for us going. Or at least, the main reason we gave him. Or Edward did. Which reminded me of the promise. We would do whatever I wanted to until the wedding. I was unbelievably excited. What little sadness had been left over from the trip up the stairs was eradicated.

"Sounds like you guys had a blast. You should take me next time." And actually, that didn't sound like a half bad idea. There probably would be no better way to say goodbye to my father than to go someplace special. But how to convince him? And where? Edward interrupted my thoughts.

"Thank you so much for letting me take her Charlie. I know it must have been hard the past couple of days without her. If there is anything I can do . . ." All of us knew he was not only talking about the past week, but also about the upcoming wedding.

"Well, nothing comes to mind, but if I think of something I will be sure to tell you." Charlie answered with a slight grin. It seemed that Charlie and Edward were on better terms now, or that Charlie had finally decided there was no way out now. I hoped it was the first. The phone rang, and I jumped a bit. I used the momentum to swing up into a standing position.

"I'll get it." I said, and walked to the kitchen. I picked up the phone and pushed the talk button. In an instant, I heard Jessica's voice on the other end, and I immediately regretted ever owning a phone.

"Hey, is this Bella?" Jessica practically squealed.

"Yes. This is Jessica, correct?"

"Of course! I just can't believe you are getting married! And that you didn't tell me right away!" It seemed that once again Jess had forgotten that we were not on the best of terms in the heat of an exciting moment.

"Did you get an invitation?" I got a bit worried right then. Even though I knew Alice had sent an invitation to the entire world, I decided to be sociable.

"Yes! They are so beautiful! I think I might frame mine, even though its not my wedding invitation!" With this I immediately wondered what Alice had done to them.

"But anyways," Jessica continued, "Tell me everything! How did he propose? When? Where? What are the colors for the wedding? Who is the maid of honor?"

And with that I proceeded to answer Jess' questions. I looked over to the TV room as we talked, and realized that Charlie and Edward were deep in conversation. Silently I hoped that it was going well, and continued to converse with Jessica. After a couple minutes, I exhausted all of Jess's questions, and hung up. Edward looked up, said something to Charlie, and then stood.

"Do you want to unpack?" Edward asked with a smirk.

"Sure. See you later Dad!" Charlie smiled at me, and I realized I had done it again. What was getting into me? I didn't call him Dad, like, ever. He opened his arms, and I quickly hugged him. He held me tightly and then let me go.

"Have fun. I'll just finish this game." And with that he plopped back down on the couch. Edward grabbed me and carried me up the stairs. I giggled a little, and he grinned back. Within seconds we were up the stairs and on my bed. I noticed both the suitcases were empty on the floor. I now understood what he was smirking at earlier when he asked me about unpacking.

"Who?" I asked, and he immediately knew what I was talking about.

"Alice. She couldn't wait for you to come show her the jewelry so she came and looked at it for herself. By the way she approves." I was quite sure that a whole new round of dress up was about to unfold, but I kept quiet. "And she figured, while she was digging through the suitcases, she might as well unpack for you." I nodded and made a mental note to thank her later.

"So now we have however long it takes to unpack to do whatever you want. I haven't forgotten my promise." Edward pulled me into him, caressing my hair. I shivered, and he stopped. But I didn't want him to. I placed his hand back on my hair and leaned my head into his chest, turning it to the side. I could feel his breath rise and fall both in his chest and on the hairs on top of my head. We stood like that for several minutes. Then he kissed me on top of the head. I shifted so that my face was turned upwards, and Edward knew what I wanted. His lips pressed softly against mine, and I almost burst with happiness. I kissed him back, and then pulled away. I didn't want to go too far. I had plenty of time for that. An eternity actually.

Edward sighed, and sat down on the bed. I followed, and then reached over to my CD player, and pressed play. My original lullaby flowed through the air. Sitting on Edward's lap, I began to let my eyelids droop, and absorbed the music. His arms wrapped around me. Each note became a part of us, binding us together, flowing through our veins. After a couple minutes, the song ended, and I moved a bit from my spot. Edward noticed and freed me. I looked at the clock and realized it was late.

"We should probably go downstairs so you can pretend to go home." Edward nodded at my comment, and we walked down the stairs one more time.

"See you later Charlie." Edward commented as he left the house. Charlie nodded, his eyes still glued to the television.

"And I am a bit tired from jet lag, so I am going to bed." I announced once Edward's car was gone. It was a lie, but as I said it I realized it was true. I stretched my arms and yawned. Charlie nodded to this too, and I headed back up the stairs, this time by myself.

A/N: Ok, so I'll get to a real problem eventually. I just really don't want to hurt Edward and Bella. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9: Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

As I reached my room, I knew it was fruitless to expect Edward waiting for me, but I still held my breath as I opened the door. He was still a bit too cautious to risk getting caught while Charlie was still awake. So I decided to take a human moment and shower. When I got out I could still hear the game downstairs so I re-entered my room and sat on the bed, hitting the play button on my CD player. It was my lullaby once again, as I had not changed it since the last time Edward and I had listened to a CD. I began to think about what Edward and I could possibly do for the next couple days. We could do anything, and it was all my choice. As I began considering options, my mind drew a blank. Everything either cost too much, was a been there, done that, or seemed kind of dorkish. The movies, the meadow, the beach, Disneyland, all seemed to out there.

When I remembered Disneyland I thought about the couple summers I had spent in California with Charlie. I was really going to miss him. Even though he was a bit demanding at times, and socially awkward, he had been there for me, and now I was leaving him forever. I had always known that the transition would be hard, but as the date approached it got worse and worse. And with that, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my time until the change. I wanted to do whatever Charlie or Angela wanted. I had limited time with them, and unlimited time with Edward. No matter how much I would rather spend my time with Edward, I knew I would regret not spending this time with Charlie or Angela later. With that decided upon, I finally felt a bit calmer. Plus, Edward and I could still do stuff together before then, especially if it was with Angela or Charlie.

At that moment, I heard the TV click off. I knew Edward was outside, waiting for Charlie to go to sleep. I mentally urged Charlie to go to bed faster. Sure, I loved him, but I wasn't really benefited at all by sitting here doing nothing. Might as well be with Edward. The thought of being together again excited me, even though we had only been separated for a half hour. This excitement caused me to get up and slowly open my window. Why waste a second? This way he could get in faster.

About a minute later, Edward slipped through my window. He smiled at the open window, and closed it softly behind him. In seconds, his arms were around my waist as he sat next to me on the bed. I relaxed into him. Some undetectable tension left the room. His breath ruffled through the roots of my hair. I felt so calm, so protected and it made the experience all the better. After about a minute, Edward spoke.

"How was the wait?" he politely asked and then kissed me lightly on the lips.

"It was tolerable, but horrible at the same time."

"Mine was quite horrible. Alice barraged me the second I got into the house. She has so many things planned for the wedding. I didn't think I was going to be able to come back before the wedding actually began the way she was going on about ribbons and dresses and tables." I grinned.

"That truly must have been horrible. I am extremely sorry for any discomfort I caused you by agreeing to her evil plan. At least I didn't give her full rein." I hated to even think of the disaster area she might have created if I had even thought about letting her do whatever she wanted.

"As long as you are happy, I won't mind." Once again, he awed me with his self-sacrifice. He already gave up so much for me, and he was wiling to do even more, just for my happiness. I couldn't think of a reply, so I just sat there in his arms. The silence wasn't awkward, and Edward held me close. After a couple minutes, he shifted.

"You should probably go to bed." I just nodded, and he gently eased us down into a position in which I could sleep much better, laying down on my back. His arms were still around my waist, and he was lying on his side, his nose gently pressing into my scalp. I turned my head slightly, and he responded just how I knew he would. His kiss was gentle and sweet. After a couple seconds, I broke it off, and closed my eyes. I felt Edward's hand brushing stray hairs off my face, and I smiled and opened my eyes once more.

"So we have all day tomorrow. What do you want to do?" he asked as he saw my eyes open again.

"I don't really know. Whatever we do, I want to do something with Charlie. I need to spend more time while I still can. Maybe you could hunt tomorrow. You really need it." I said as I stroked the dark circles under his coal-black eyes. He lightly kissed my fingertips.

"Charlie did request that I allow you to spend more time around him before the wedding. He didn't say it to me, but I gathered from his thoughts that he knows he wont be seeing you after the wedding. Don't worry, I think you are making the right decision anyways." He pulled me closer to him as he spoke, his fingers moving down my spine.

"I love you." I said, mumbling into his shoulder. His lips lightly brushed my forehead, and I drifted off to sleep.

That morning, I woke up close to Edward's body, which had warmed up considerably through the night. As I moved my head, and his arms tightened around me. He grinned as I looked up into his eyes.

"Are you sure your okay with this?" I asked him. I wanted so much to just stay like we were for the rest of the day, but I didn't want to do something I would eternally regret.

"As long as you are happy, I am perfectly fine with whatever decision you make." With that, he pulled us up into a sitting position. I didn't really want to wake up yet, so I just sat there, leaning into his chest. He sensed this, and just stroked my hair. After a couple minutes, I lifted my head, and gazed at his soft face. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. Somehow I managed to stumble off the bed after that. Of course he chuckled slightly as I staggered. I moved to towards my dresser, and he to my closet. Even after being together for so long, he still would not even stay in the same room (well, the closet doesn't count) when I changed. It was sweet, as I had never asked him to. He just assumed.

I quickly grabbed a t-shirt and some jeans. No need to dress fancy for Charlie. Once I was completely dressed, I went over to the closet and opened it. Edward emerged, and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, hoping that we could just stay like that forever. But I knew we had to be responsible. There would be time for such things once I was a vampire. Of course, it meant that I basically could only spend time with the Cullen's. That fact was the worst sacrifice of the path I had chosen. After about 30 seconds, Edward broke away, and grabbed my brush. He began combing through my hair, and it felt amazing. This was only the second time he had ever brushed my hair, but he was so good at it he could have been a girl. His motions were so gentle and smooth that the hair agreed willingly and moved to the correct positions without the occasional snapping I had become used to with my long hair. He had done this one night before when I had been having trouble with one knot in the back of my hair. Being the gentleman he is, he offered to help. He got the knot out easily and with no pain. I really hadn't expected him to ever do it again, but apparently he enjoyed it as much as I had.

Once my hair was completely knot free, he handed the brush back to me. I decided that today would be a good ponytail day, so I pulled it all back. After my hair was up, I walked over and hugged Edward. I wanted to stay with him so much.

"We can always postpone the change Bella. Not that I want to, but if you really feel you need more time with him, I wont mind at all." I immediately shook my head at this. Postponement only led to more opportunities to mess up. To end up dead instead of with him forever. I knew he didn't think there was any danger, but the Volturi knew I was still human, and I was a danger magnet. He sighed, and then kissed me.

"I'll see you later tonight then. Here is the cell phone. Alice and Esme will definitely be in Forks all day today, and you can call me whenever." Edward remarked after pulling out of the deep kiss. I accepted the small silver item he held forward and stuck it in my pocket. He gave me one more short kiss.

"Have fun with Charlie." And with that, he was out the window.

A/N: This story proudly welcomes both grammar Nazis and harsh critics. Review please!


	10. Chapter 10: Fish

A/N: The date is Saturday June 22nd at this point in the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

When Edward was out the window, I had half a mind to call him back. I knew he would come. Yet I knew I would only regret it later. After a couple seconds, I headed down the stairs. Charlie was there. I smiled at him and grabbed a cereal box at random. I bought all the food, so I figured I would probably like it, and didn't bother looking at any of the labels.

"So, when is Edward coming over?" Charlie asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Actually, Jasper and Emmett took him on a guys only trip, so he wont be here today." I remarked. He tried not to let it show, but Charlie's whole expression lightened.

"Do you have any plans for today then?" he inquired.

"Not really. I was kind of hoping we could do something together." I said in as happy a tone as I could muster.

"Sure kid. I was planning to go fishing, but we can do something else if you wanted to." Charlie seemed unsure, as if he couldn't think of anything else to do together that he would enjoy.

"No, fishing is great. Do you have an extra pole?" I could not really think of anything else to do, and I knew Charlie would greatly enjoy it.

"Of course. You finish your cereal, and I'll start loading the car." With that, he walked out the kitchen and up the stairs. Content, I scooped up some cereal. Charlie was happy, and I would probably be safe. I instinctively knew that Edward would have someone following me to make sure of that. A minute later I saw Charlie troop down the stairs with some long tubes in his hand. I guessed they contained the fishing poles. He also had a bag, which I gathered held bait of some kind.

"Hey, do you mind if I use your truck? I can fit this in the cruiser, but it will be a lot easier in your car."

"Go right on ahead." As he walked out the door I shoveled in the last few spoonfuls. When the bowl was empty, I placed in the sink, quickly running it under water. I then hurried up the stairs, as I needed to change my shoes. Once in my room, I dug through my closet until I found the hiking boots I had bought what seemed so long ago. Yet it had been only been a couple months since Jacob and I went in search of the meadow. Jacob. I wondered how he was. We hadn't communicated since the day of the fight. Maybe I would call him after the fishing trip, and see how things were down at La Push. After a couple minutes of fumbling, I finally got my shoes laced up and tied. Somehow I made it back down the stairs in the huge items without tripping or falling. My father was outside, and closed the bed of the truck just as I reached the front of the hood.

"Do you want to drive?" Charlie asked.

"Sure." I opened the door to the driver seat and climbed in. It seemed like a while since I had actually driven the truck. Edward usually drove me everywhere in his silver Volvo. I buckled my seat belt as Charlie pulled himself into the passenger seat. The rickety truck wobbled a little, and then balanced out. It worried me a bit, as the truck already had many problems, and for it to be broken in the middle of the wilderness was probably not a good situation. I turned the key in the ignition, and backed out of the driveway. Charlie and I spent the drive discussing where we would be fishing. He seemed very excited and animated about it.

When we reached the end of the road I stopped the car. Charlie climbed out and began taking the fishing poles out of their tubes. As I had basically no experience with fishing gear, I stood silently, waiting for him to be done. The susurrus of the wind rushing through the trees was calming, and it reminded me slightly of being on the beach, the sound of the ocean breaking on the sand. Back when life was simpler, and there were no holes, scars, or stitches. Charlie shut the bed of the truck loudly, waking me from my quiet reverie.

We took a short minute hike on a worn path. I tripped once, but there was no significant scratching. Just a slight stinging in my palms that persisted until we reached the river. Charlie began setting up the bait, placing a small bit of yellow-green food on a hook. He then cautiously handed me the pole. I remembered enough from earlier years of fishing to be able to cast. Soon I was sitting on the bank, my floater bobbing in the water. Charlie adopted a similar stance about 10 feet away. As we waited for the fish, we began to talk of the wedding. Charlie made sure I was completely comfortable with my decision. He asked what Edward and I would be doing after we were married. I explained that we would probably honeymoon and then go straight to college. After that we discussed college options. Majors I could go into, things I would need to do. However, I knew it was fruitless. Edward had taken the college route several times, and would probably guide me through quite quickly when I was actually ready to associate with humans again.

At one point there was a lull in our conversation. As we sat in silence, I heard the baying of a wolf. Charlie commented that it seemed quite out of place, and that he rarely heard that when he went fishing. Although I knew it wasn't him, it still twisted my heart. Jacob was probably still suffering, in pain, all because of me. Sure, he knew what he was getting into, but all the same, I was a horrible person. I hadn't even called him since that day. Not only did I break his heart, but I was also terrible at keeping a long distance friendship. I mentally made a note to call him the second I got home.

Throughout the day we caught a total of four fish. One for me, and three for Charlie. When I caught mine, the hugest grin spread over his face. He cheered as I struggled to reel it in. His three were all smaller than mine, which seemed only to make him happier. As we headed home, he recounted the tale of my big catch. I smiled along with him. His joy was quite hard to resist, and it seemed to fill the entire truck. We arrived home, and I helped Charlie carry in the fish and the supplies. While Charlie put everything away I began cooking the fish. I thought about calling Jacob, and decided to do it after dinner. Soon the fish were ready to serve, and Charlie was down the stairs and ready to eat.

Dinner was very enjoyable. Charlie congratulated me on my wonderful cooking skills, and then left to watch a game. I figured it was the perfect moment to call Jake. However, the thought of hearing his voice on the other line scared me. Jacob's Bella was gone, cried out, but I feared that she would easily return, and begin tearing my heart out again. I knew I still loved him, but I was quite sure of my decision. It needed to be done, though, for my sanity, so I picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. Someone picked up on the other side, and I held my breath. It was Billy.

"Hello?" He seemed slightly depressed.

"Hi Billy. Is Jake there? This is Bella." I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible.

"No Bella. Jake ran away."


	11. Chapter 11: Forgiveness

A/N: I am getting depressed from the little amount of reviews. Even if you just post to say I suck it will be better than nothing. And my I key is acting up, so if there are any extra or missing i's, blame it on the stupid MAC! Oh, and the date is still Saturday June 22nd.

"Ran away? Why?" I said as I quickly found a chair. Instinctively, I knew I would need to be sitting as I heard the next part.

"Because of you." As if I hadn't gathered as much.

"What happened?" It took everything I had not to go into hysterics. Jake was stronger than that. I knew he was. Why didn't he call me? I told him I would always be there if he needed me.

"Well, he seemed kind of angry today anyways, and then I gave him the wedding invitation." That wasn't supposed to happen, but I decided to remain silent and yell at Alice later. "He didn't even bother reading the invitation. He just read the note that was attached, and then almost ruined the table. Then he took off his shirt and ran out the door. I haven't seen him since." His voice kind of cracked on the last word. I couldn't believe what I was hearing

"I'm so sorry Billy!" I couldn't even imagine the pain he was suffering. And then to have the cause call him on the phone and ask him about it. I really was a horrible person.

"What's done is done." Billy replied, as if he thought Jake wasn't coming back. This just made me feel even worse.

"I hope he comes back soon." I didn't really know how to end the conversation, but I knew exactly what I was doing the second it ended. My hand was already in my pocket, retrieving the cell phone to call Alice. Boy was she going to get a scolding. And maybe even some wedding privileges taken away.

"Bye Bella." And the line clicked. Well, that was easy. I pushed and held 3 on my speed dial (Edward was 2, and voicemail was 1. Stupid default settings) and Alice picked up the phone. She had probably had a vision of me calling already.

"Why in the . . ."

"Bella, calm down. I didn't send Jacob an invitation, and I don't know who did." Alice quickly said over my exclamation. She definitely had had a vision.

"Who would have done it then?" I asked her. Alice had never really lied to me before, but who knew?

"Anyone could have sent him their invitation Bella. I sent them out Tuesday, and that is plenty of time for someone to have received it and then sent it to Jake. I can't imagine why or who, but anything is possible." Alice said in a very wondering tone, as if she was completely puzzled over what had happened.

"Thanks Alice. I'm going to call Edward." I needed to hear his voice before I flipped. Quickly I glanced over at Charlie, but he didn't seem to have noticed how flustered I was getting. I figured it was still probably safer to conduct the next conversation upstairs. As I snuck up the stairs, I held down number 2. After two rings, Edward picked up.

"Bella. How are you?" His sweet, caring voice immediately calmed me down, but I was still slightly anxious. How could things have gone so wrong?

"Horrific. Jacob ran away today, because he got a wedding invitation."

"Hold on, I'll be in your room in 30 seconds." Edward said, and the line went dead. I sighed and fell on my bed. The tears were about to win the fierce battle against my will when his arms slid around my waist. I turned slightly, and his face was right there. His brown eyes stared straight into mine, with almost as much pain as I felt.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I didn't mean for it to turn out like this. I thought I was doing him a favor." It took my brain a couple seconds to process the words. He had sent the invitation. He had written the note that made Jacob run away.

"What did you say in the note?" It hurt me to think that he had gone behind my back, and that he had added insult to injury by actually writing directly to Jacob. I waited for him to reply, tense.

"I told him that I was inviting him against your wishes, and that I wanted to give him the option to come if he wished. Then I thanked him for all he did for us. I put it in the mail the day we got home from New York. I really thought it would help Bella, or else I would never have done it. It was wrong of me to go behind your back. Please forgive me." He spoke these words as if he didn't deserve forgiveness. I slightly agreed, as I was still in shock of the fact that he had done that. Of course I knew he wasn't perfect, but making a mistake like this was not the norm for him. We lay there in silence for a couple minutes of unease.

"Last time we went to the meadow, you told me that you were going to let me have happiness my way. Whatever I wanted was mine, and you weren't going to force me to do something your way. First, you forced me to go to New York, which admittedly wasn't that bad, but then you did this expressly against my wishes. I love you Edward, but you really aren't keeping your promise." I finally said after many minutes of thought.

"I know Bella. I am an awful person. I wish I can take the note back, but I can't. I'll try my best not to break my promises from now on. Bella, I really will do anything for you. You are my world." He really sounded penitent for what he had done. So I decided I would forgive him for now. I reached up and kissed him lightly. However, once the kiss was over, I realized that all was not well. Even though Edward and I had made peace, Jacob was still hurting, somewhere, running through the woods. And then the tears won once and for all. Edward pulled me closer to him, and slowly rocked me back and forth.

"I can go look for him if you want me to. I don't know if it is the best idea considering our current relationship, but if you think it will help, I will go. I was already wrong about what would help this situation, so now you can make all the decisions." I slowly considered what he had said. Sure, I wanted Jake to be found, but Edward being the first person to talk to him was probably not the best idea.

"No. I'm sure the pack will find him eventually considering they can hear each other's thoughts. He will probably be back within a day. I just worry about him. Will he be able to handle me being a vampire? Or will he become as mean and nasty as Leah? And is it all my fault?" Edward softly sshhhed me in my ear.

"You did what you thought was right. No one can do better than that." My body shook as I sobbed into his chest. Edward placed his head on top of mine and slowly kissed up and down the part. I began to calm down slightly, and eventually Edward reminded me to say goodnight to Charlie. I splashed my face and then headed downstairs. Right before I was going to say something though, a commercial started blaring on the TV.

"Do you feel fat? Overweight? Ugly? Well don't! Everyone can become skinnier if they just try out our new gym set. For only 8 payments of 50 dollars, this fat burning machine can be yours." I usually laughed at these scam commercials, but the recent events had zapped a lot of my emotional power.

"Hey Charlie," I said once the commercial was over. "I am going to go to bed now. See you tomorrow."

"Night." He replied, intensely focused on the screen that was once again a game.

I slowly tramped up the stairs, ready to escape the horrors of the day. Edward was waiting in my room of course, arms open. I slid onto his lap, and he tightened his arms around my waist. I tried just to relax in his arms, but I was just too restless to settle in. Edward began to kiss down my hair, and I focused on the sensation. My head began to drop, and Edward quickly pulled us both down onto the bed. A couple seconds later, I was out.


	12. Chapter 12: Dreams

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I want more though . . . And my I key is still acting up, so ignore the missing and/or extra I's.

That night, my dreams were very vivid, and very strange. At first, I was in the middle of the forest, and a large animal streaked past, I was chasing after it. It consumed my every thought. Then my mouth was at its throat. It sunk to the ground as I depleted its blood supply. Suddenly it shifted form, and became a boy I knew very, very well. Just as I was about to scream, the dream shifted. I was in front of the Cullen's TV, on the gym set I had seen earlier that night on the TV. Rosalie sat on the couch, looking quite smug. Then I noticed. It was horrific. My waist size had increased to well over 40 inches. How had it gotten this way? I ran even faster, and the machine broke. Then I sat down and began to dry heave sobs. I was a vampire! I couldn't cry, I ran too fast for the machine, and my skin was slightly paler than usual. As this fact hit me, Rosalie started to laugh.

"I'm afraid Bella, that you can't lose weight after you become a vampire. Or really change anything else about your hideous body. Maybe you should of thought about that first, eh?" And with that she flew up the stairs, still laughing at my disgrace. Then I saw Edward. I ran straight to him, expecting the comfort I needed. But he held out his arms, blocking my way.

"I just can't live with you anymore Bella. Please, just leave. Go run off with your werewolf or something." The dream shifted before I could react. There was a funeral. It looked like the entire body of Forks was there. Even the Cullens. Then I saw Charlie, right next to the coffin, closing the lid. His tie was too thin, but that wasn't the only problem with his appearance. It looked like he hadn't combed what remained of his hair in weeks. It was all thoroughly messy, and slightly greasy. His shirt wasn't tucked all the way in, part of it hanging out on the left side. And he had lots of whiskers, as if he hadn't shaven in four or five days. There were tears streaming down his face. Then I noticed Edward. He was standing straight and tall, looking straight ahead. It reminded me of how he looked when the Volturi had tortured Bree. The rest of the Cullens looked the same way. But then I noticed Jacob. His hair was short again, and he had his head down. He looked distraught, but that didn't bother me half as much as the girl standing next to him. She had long flowing black hair, and her hand was tightly wrapped around his. I knew immediately this was the girl he had imprinted on, and I wanted to run away and cry. Why was everyone so sad? I could hear Jessica crying profusely in the background. And then I heard Mike.

"Why Bella?" In that second, it hit me. This was my funeral. I was the one who was causing everyone so much pain. I wondered if I was now a vampire, or if I was actually dead. I turned to Edward, and tried to grasp his hand, just to feel his reassuring touch. As I began to grab hold, he turned into a little girl. She was running down the beach, and I was following. We were both laughing, sopping up the sun. Jacob was sitting on a driftwood tree, watching us. He had a smile a mile wide. I ran up to him, and sat down. He grinned and pulled me close. As we kissed, I heard a splash. We both looked at the same time, and his hand let go of mine. There was another woman on the beach. She had long, flowing black hair. Jacob stood, and walked away from me. I called after him, but he wouldn't turn. The little girl chased after him, crying 'Daddy, daddy!' Then Jacob pushed her away. She fell on the rocks, crying. I could see she was bleeding. As I moved towards her, something else entered the scene. It was too fast for me to tell what it was, but within seconds, the little girl was gone. I cried out and dashed into the forest. Something grabbed me around the waist, and then there was fire burning my neck, and then my arms, and then my legs. I screamed out as someone whispered 'Sorry.'

When my eyes opened again, I was still in the forest. Next to me, there was a bedraggled 

wolf. He was whimpering, and it looked as if he had been there for a while. I slowly approached him, and he morphed, as I knew he would. Jacob stood before me, naked. He dashed behind the tree.

"What do you want, Bella? You already ruined my life you fat freak." The words stabbed me, and I began to cry. My whole body shook. I felt as if I was turning into a werewolf. And then I was in my bed again, crying. Edward's arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, and he was rubbing my back soothingly.

"Sshhh Bella. It was only a dream. Calm down." The tears began to subside, and he kissed my forehead. "I'm right here, don't worry." When the tears were gone, I quickly glanced down at my waist. Thankfully, it was the same size as when I had gone to sleep. I was still human, and nothing drastic had happened. Edward held me tightly to him. I was a bit freaked from my dream, and frightened that any second he would let go of me and run off with some girl with flowing black hair. So I pulled him close, and kissed him on the lips. He kissed me back, and then stopped to ask me a question.

"Are you okay now?" He asked, concern rippling through his voice. "You did not sleep well."

"Sort of. That dream was really freaky." Each tragic moment was still echoing through my brain, causing all of my thought processes to be a little out of wack. Edward ran his hand down my hair.

"Anything I can do?" I shook my head. The room grew perceptibly lighter. I glanced towards the window, and noticed the sun was coming up. And that there were no clouds. Edward's skin was already beginning to sparkle.

"I guess we can't really go anywhere today." I commented. He smiled and squeezed my hand.

"We can go to the meadow, or my house. Or, you could spend your time with Charlie again today."

"No. One day should be good for now. He was pretty proud of the fish I caught though. Maybe he will tell you the story today." I smirked at the thought. Charlie's rendition of the escapade was pretty enjoyable. Then the picture of the way he looked at my funeral in my dream flashed, and I was full of pain.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Edward questioned once again. He tucked my hair behind my ear, smoothing it into place. I nodded one more time, and he believed me. The sparkles were really beginning to bounce off my walls. I pulled his hand close to my face and examined the rippling dynamics of the sparkles. We lay there for a couple more minutes.

"Do you want to tell me about your dream?" Edward asked. "I understand if you don't want to. Living through some things once is bad enough."

"Not really. Maybe if I don't talk or think about them I'll gradually forget them." I knew it was truly wishful thinking, but I really did not want to tell Edward what had happened that night. He nodded, and pulled me close to him once again. Then we heard Charlie getting out of bed. Edward kissed me lightly on the forehead.

"I'll be back in a half hour. Be ready." He kissed me softly on the lips, and then left out the window. After laying in shock for about a minute, I rolled off the bed and grabbed the nearest outfit. It was one Edward and I had bought in New York. I took one of the quickest showers of my life, and braided my hair. It was a constant battle to not think about my experience the night before. I poured myself a bowl of Mini Wheats. Charlie came down the stairs while I was eating it.

"Hey Bella. What are you doing today?"

"Edward is going to pick me up in a minute to go to the Cullen's house. I think we are going to help Alice plan for the wedding some, and watch some movies." There. That sounded like an expected plan for someone at my stage in life. I scraped up the remaining contents of my bowl and washed it out in the sink. Charlie nodded, and then a car horn honked.

"Guess he's in a hurry today. I'll catch you later Charlie!" Edward had never used his car horn in front of me before. I was honestly a bit surprised. I walked out the door, and into the driveway. The sun was glaring, almost brighter than it ever had been in Phoenix. I got in the car, and we headed off to Edward's house.


	13. Chapter 13: Relief

A/N: My i key is still on crack, so ignore the spellng errors please.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, unfortunately.

"It is really bright out there," I commented. I folded down the thingy on the roof to shade my eyes from the sun. Edward was wearing sunglasses that were obviously Prada. Alice. But I had to admit he looked really good in them.

"There was obviously no way I could have gotten in the house today. Unless I was wearing a ski mask, scarf, and sweater, Charlie would have noticed I was glittering. Sorry about the honking, there really was no other way."

"It's fine. As long as it doesn't become a habit, I think Charlie is okay with it too." We were already past Forks High, and going at an insane speed for the road we were on. I didn't mind those sort of things anymore as I knew I would always be safe when I was with Edward. Then I noticed there was music playing, but I didn't recognize it at all.

"What are we listening to?" I asked.

"Angels and Airwaves. They are one of my newer finds. I don't like them as much as some other bands, but they aren't bad." He said as he deftly turned a corner while staring at my face. Even after riding with him for so long, it still was hard to get used to how he could drive the car perfectly with only an occasional glance at the road. We sat there, listening to the music until we reached his house. His skin sparkled during the drive, keeping my eyes on him the entire time. I also enjoyed the music immensely, and decided to request it again later. 

He got out, and of course my door was open milliseconds later. But instead of stepping out, I was picked up by Edward. He leaned down slightly and kissed me. It slightly reminded me of how most brides and grooms left the scene of their wedding. I hooked my arms around his neck, smiling into the kiss. After several eternal seconds, his lips let go of mine.

"So, would you like to go to the meadow, or sit on my couch?" Edward asked. However, I didn't get a chance to respond, as Alice exploded out of the house.

"Finally! We can talk wedding logistics! I have bridesmaid dresses ready, and I am pretty sure you will love them. However, we never even talked about tuxes. Will Charlie need one? What color ties should they wear? Maybe blue, but I worry that would be way too matchy matchy. Come on, Bella, you need to help out here. Any suggestions?" Alice whooshed out in one breath. Edward laughed, and quickly carried me into the house, despite Alice's menacing glare. He sat me down right outside Alice's room. She was suddenly there, opening the door. I walked in after her into a light, airy room that I had come to like almost as much as Edward's. She entered her huge closet (I had yet to see the back wall, even after many hours spent in there) and grabbed a white garment bag. As she pulled off the bag, I gasped. The dress was perfect. It was floor-length, and just the right shade of dark blue. It had a slight 1918 feel just like the wedding dress, but it had a modern cut. I went up and stroked the fabric, almost wishing I could wear the dress, as it was some of the softest, silkiest stuff I had ever felt. 

"It's amazing Alice. I don't think I could have found a better dress." She grinned happily, putting the bag cover back on.

"And what do you think Edward?" She questioned. He paused, and then replied.

"You did a wonderful job Alice."

"Thanks. Alright Bella. So what about Charlie?" I thought about what he had worn to Harry's funeral, and shuddered.

"Yes, Charlie definitely needs something new. However, you get to talk to him. I don't want to try and convince him to go shopping. And I don't think a blue tie would be too matchy matchy. However, I wouldn't have a problem with a yellow tie. Or even just letting the guys wear whatever they want." Alice quickly cut me off.

"Oh no. I would not trust Emmett not to wear a Bugs Bunny tie or something along those lines. We need a standard for the men, or else your wedding pictures will look horrific." She said this with pure disgust in her voice.

"Pictures?" I had never agreed to pictures. Ever. And I certainly did not want any.

"Oh come on, you were going to just leave Charlie with nothing to remember your happiness by? He at least needs one good picture with you and Edward. And as long as we have a photographer, why not go all out? They get paid by the hour anyways." I internally groaned, but put on a happy face. 

"Alright Alice. But we have to limit the amount of hours for the wedding. There is no way I am going to stand around for 12 hours getting my picture taken." I shuddered in horror.

"I already thought about that. I was thinking a one hour wedding ceremony, with a small wedding breakfast and pictures for about an hour after that. I decided that a reception probably would be unnecessary as all of Forks was invited to the ceremony." She turned, as if expecting my wrath, and hung up the dress. I felt a panic attack coming on.

"All of Forks?" I said as my breathing rate quickly increased. Edward quickly pulled me close to his body and soothingly rubbed my back.

"Just kidding Bella! I basically invited everyone who came to your graduation party and their families. Minus the werewolves. And of course I invited your teachers." My breathing slowed, however I quickly realized this wasn't much different than all of Forks. It probably excluded only one or two retirees and a few young families in the area. 

"Well, if you are all done . . . " Edward hinted.

"No. I looked into some locations to have the wedding breakfast, but I decided we should just have it here, like the wedding. Do you have a problem with that?" I shook my head. "Alright then Edward, you can take her. But don't go too far, as I am sure something else will come up." All of the sudden I saw the ceiling whoosh by, and we were in Edward's room. He gently set me on the couch.

"Did you want to go to the meadow instead?" I nodded, as I wanted to see him fully sparkle in the sunlight, but then quickly rethought.

"What about Alice?" I asked, slightly frightened of her wrath.

"Oh, she'll be fine. And if she isn't, I'll take care of her." He smiled down, pulling me close to his body. I laid my head on his chest. He stroked my hair softly and slowly. I lifted up my head to look into his amber gold eyes, and our lips met. Soon we were on the bed conveniently located in his room. I broke the kiss finally, gasping for air. Edward chuckled.

"Sorry. I guess I kinda took that one too far." I could only nod, as I was still winded and surprised from the depth of the kiss. He separated himself slightly from me, allowing both of us to calm down some more. 

"Ready to go?"

"Definitely." I replied. The sooner we were off this bed, the better. He helped me onto his back, and then we were off. It seemed like the fastest we had ever gone. I could feel my hair tangling into knots, but I didn't care too much. However, I began to think about how fast we were running, and it reminded me of one of the times Jacob and I talked about his being a werewolf.

"_How fast can you . . . ?"_

"_Run? Fast enough. What can I measure it by? We caught . . . what was his name? Laurent? I imagine that means more to you than it would to someone else."_

Now that I was once again experiencing such speed, it amazed that a wolf could run anywhere near this speed. And as I thought about Jacob, I began to hurt once again. I wondered if he had made it home yet. His pain still triggered my own, and I didn't want him to hurt. There just really wasn't any other way. As we continued our trek through the trees, I thought about him, and about the girl with the flowing black hair. Did she exist? My dreams had possessed prophetic tendencies before, but I didn't know if this one did.

We reached the meadow rather quickly. Edward set me down, and then quickly pulled me into a light kiss. He let go of me smiling. I made the motion to sit, and did so. Edward quickly copied. At this point, the sun was rather high, and the sparkles were dancing all over his body. I couldn't keep my eyes off of them. His hand grabbed mine, and it almost looked as if my skin was also sparkling. We sat there, content. After soaking in enough of his sparkling skin, I went and laid my head on his chest. He wrapped one arm around my waist to better support me. 

"Is there anything specific you wanted to do here?" He asked after a few minutes. I could feel his voice move his chest slightly.

"Not really. I just wanted to talk and relax. Yesterday and last night were stress packed enough." Another twinge of pain for Jacob hit, but I ignored it. I was here with Edward, right? 

"Alright. Did you want to discuss anything in particular?"

"Well, for starters, how was hunting yesterday?" I questioned as I looked up into his amber eyes.

"It went well. I luckily found a mountain lion. After that I got a few deer for good measure and came straight home. And I wasn't back a minute too soon." He pulled his fingers through my hair, untangling some of the knots that had formed during our run. "How was your day with Charlie, other than the large fish you caught?" I began to tell him about my day more in depth than I had that morning, mentioning the conversation Charlie and I had had about college. We then began discussing his past experience in college, and he told me stories, such as the time Emmett had forgotten to do his final project for one of his classes, and when some guy had hit on Alice back in the 60's and offered her some LSD, and how he and Jasper had to step in before she got mugged by the druggies. We discussed his experiences for several hours. I constantly admired his sparkling skin, and he always had his hand in mine. Eventually, the conversation thinned, and Edward asked if I wanted to go back to his house. I said yes, and he put me on his back. As we shot through the forest, I thought once more of Jacob. How was he? I decided that I would call the Blacks the second Edward had to go 'home.'

A/N: Thanks for the reviews I received for the last chapter. I am going to try and reply more to the reviews I do receive. Please review this chapter too! The more reviews I get the more inclined I am to post quickly . . .


	14. Chapter 14: Fast

A/N: I have taken forever to get this chapter out, I know

A/N: I have taken forever to get this chapter out, I know. Well, you see, my mother got me a new piano book, with some really good classical pieces, so I had to play through all of them. And then the science fair I complained about a couple chapters ago won a couple awards, including a new calculator. And well, I am a math nerd, so I had to mess around with it (It is a TI-nspire. The coolest thing in the world!). And then I had relatives in town. At the same time, all my teachers decided that they wanted to assign some a bunch of assignments. So, life has been hectic, and fanfic got pushed to the back of my mind. SORRY!

Edward and I reached his house quickly, and now were on his couch. He had me on his lap, one of his hands in mine. We were listening to Angel's and Airwaves per my request. As we sat there, I thought about how my life was going to change when I became a vampire. I would have lots of free time to spend with Edward. And then I wouldn't sleep and have dreams anymore.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward questioned, brushing my hair back from my face with his free hand.

"Just about how everything is going to change soon. How much better it will be for us." He smiled at this and kissed me lightly on the forehead.

"We'll always be together," he replied. I nodded and curled into his chest. He lowered his head, his nose just barely above my part. After several minutes of sitting quite comfortably, he shifted slightly.

"Unfortunately, it is time for you to get home." I groaned slightly, and pulled myself away from his calming embrace. He stood up, gently pulling me with him. Then we just stood there for a couple seconds. Suddenly, his hand was under my chin, pulling my face up. There was a slight thirst in his eyes, and then his lips were on mine. They pressed softly at first, and then quickly gained momentum. I broke it off, scared that it would go too far. Edward seemed to stop breathing, and I leaned my head against his chest. His hand stroked the back of my hair, and he began to breathe again.

"Charlie's probably got his gun in hand." Edward said after a couple tense seconds.

"Not that that's a problem for you." I said as we walked out of the room, hand in hand. I was surprised that Edward hadn't just picked me up and carried me to the car. Walking down the stairs at a human speed was nice though. The entrance into the lower room, the view of the piano made me feel so at peace, at home.

We reached the car, Edward opening the door. He was starting the car milliseconds after I had settled into my extremely comfortable seat. Seconds later, the car was speeding down the road, faster than my truck ever could.

"So, does driving fast come with being a vampire, or did you all just have that as a common personality trait?" I thought about what would happen to my truck when I turned. I loved its character now, but would I detest driving it later?

"Well, we can't really be sure, but as far as we can tell it is a vampire thing. Esme doesn't have the urge as much as the rest of us, but she certainly drives faster than any normal human would feel comfortable with. Which means your truck will probably drive you insane in the future." He grinned teasingly over at me. I returned it with a shy smile. But now I was wondering what to do with my car. It would be a waste to take it with me to "college" as I wouldn't drive it, and the small amount of money I could make by selling it would make little difference to the Cullen's money supply. I could give it away to someone, but who? All I could think of were seniors who already had cars, often nicer than my truck.

We reached my house. Edward helped me out of the car, gently holding my elbow. We strolled up to the porch, and I noticed my father walking away from the window. I'm sure Edward noticed too, but he showed no sign of it. When we reached the door, he leaned down and kissed me. It was soft, and sweet. Then he opened the door for me, and closed it right behind me.

"How was your day?" Charlie asked, faking nonchalance on the couch in front of an unusually blank TV.

"Great. Alice showed me the bridesmaid dresses. They are gorgeous. How was your day?"

"Fine. I went fishing with Billy. There are more fish in the freezer." With this, my stomach growled. I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast. Being with Edward tended to cause me to forget those human needs. But there was a more pressing matter that came to mind. Was Jake okay?

"How is Jake?" I tried to keep the worry out of my voice. Charlie hadn't heard about Jake running from me, and there was a chance he still hadn't.

"Billy said he was hanging out with his friends today. He's hoping he is making a comeback after what happened." Instinctively, I knew that Billy hadn't told Charlie the whole truth.

"I'm just going to call him and see how he is doing, okay." And with that I snatched the phone off the counter, not even waiting for a reply. Charlie grunted, and the TV switched on. The order of the numbers was second nature, and hardly involved any thought. Within seconds, the call tone was ringing. After 2 rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?" It was Jake.

"Jake! I was so worried!" I breathed a sigh of relief, away from the mouthpiece.

"Oh. It's you." He sounded depressed, and quite disappointed.

"I'm so sorry Jake! I told him not to send it, I really did." I didn't really know how else to say it.

"No, its okay Bells. I've finally sorted out my emotions. He was right to do it. I know you meant well though."

"Are you sure you are okay? Really?" His answer seemed too . . . rehearsed somehow.

"Yes, I'm sure. Look, now isn't a great time to talk, okay?" He seemed oddly unJacob. The Jake I knew would have talked to me for an hour if we were on good terms. And assuming his statement was true, we were.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then."

"Bye Bells." And with that he hung up. I stared in disbelief at the phone for a second, and then set it back down. I turned towards the TV, and noticed it was the same commercial as the other night. The same ridiculous gym set as had haunted my absurd dream. I didn't really laugh about it this time.

"_I'm afraid Bella, that you can't lose weight after you become a vampire. Or really change anything else about your hideous body. Maybe you should of thought about that first, eh?"_

The dream Rosalie's comment didn't seem horribly off base. Once I was a vampire, I was a vampire. No going back and losing 10 pounds or growing hair or really any other body changes. I wasn't fat or anything, but the idea was slightly frightening. What if I had like a tooth problem that showed up the day before the change, some unnoticed painful cavity, and I had that for the rest of my existence? Or a forever broken nail?

With those thoughts on my mind, I went up to my bedroom to write a to do list. Alice would be so proud.


	15. Chapter 15: Blemish

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

**AN: **Yes, my I key is still broken. Blech.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Twilight.

_Teeth_

_Nails_

_Abs_

_HAIR!_

_Skin_

_Unwanted Hair_

As I continued to think, staring at my current list, my stomach growled. So I went downstairs, and made myself a sandwich. Charlie was still watching the game.

"Do you want me to make you a sandwich, Charlie?" I said once a commercial came on.

"Sure. Thanks." He said without turning his gaze from the television. Once, again, I opened the bread bag, pulled out two pieces, and put it away. As I made the sandwich, I thought of things I could add to my list. There was no room for mistakes on this one. Whatever I missed within the next month would haunt me for the rest of my life. When nothing came to my mind, I began to plan out how to accomplish them, and in what order. Unwanted hair should probably be dealt with as close to the wedding as possible, as it could come back. A workout to tone my abs would work best if I started it the next morning, and continued it as long as possible. While I was at it, I might as well take a run every morning, and tone some other muscles. When I realized how much time this was going to take, I wondered how Edward would like it.

At this point, the sandwich was ready, and I was just standing there, thinking. So I delivered Charlie his sandwich, mine in the other hand.

"Thanks." I sat down next to him on the couch, and nibbled at the sandwich. Charlie's team was losing, and it was actually amusing to sometimes see him yell at the referees. I didn't really understand the game, so it was otherwise unentertaining. During one commercial break, Charlie asked me how Jacob was. I explained to him in more or less words that he was fine, and seemed to be handling things a bit better. However, I didn't tell him about the cold way in which he had treated me. His sudden change still mystified me.

After about 45 minutes of the game, I said goodnight, and headed back upstairs. I put my list away, hoping to introduce the subject to Edward on my own terms than him finding it and then asking me about it. Then I decided that I might as well get started on the ab toning, even though it wasn't highly advisable to exercise at night. Thirty situps later my body failed me, and I relaxed on the floor for a minute, letting the pain recede. After a year and a half of gym I should have been in much better shape. However, thanks to Mike's chivalry I had spent most of gym standing quietly in a corner anyways.

Once the pain was gone, I decided to give up the exercises until morning. I quickly changed into my pjs. There was a sudden silence of sound from the TV, and then creaking noises from the stairs. When Charlie's door loudly closed, I counted the seconds until Edward would probably appear. Suddenly, he was there, climbing in through my window. Soon after he was on my bed Charlie's first snore rippled through the house. Edward smiled and lightly kissed me. Then he pulled down the covers, gesturing for me to get in. As I slipped between the sheets and the bed he did too.

"How was your night with Charlie?" he asked as he pulled me close.

"Fine. We watched some game and ate sandwiches." I considered telling him about my list, but decided to wait for a better moment. It was slightly embarrassing anyways. "How were your couple hours away?" During the last syllable of away I yawned, drawing out the word an extra couple seconds.

"I mainly just fiddled around on the piano. Nothing special." His cool breath danced across my hairline. After this statement, we both fell silent. I began to think about how to tell him about the list, but then I was waking up.

"Good morning angel." Edward said as my eyes fluttered open. A grin spread across my face, and he gently kissed me on the forehead. My room was lighter than when I usually woke up, but this was to be expected. It was summer, so of course I was getting off my sleeping schedule. I attempted to sit up, but was attacked by a soreness in my abs. It wasn't that severe, but it was enough for my breath to catch slightly. Of course, Edward noticed. His hand slid up my back, and in an instant he was supporting my entire frame while also sitting up.

"Are you okay?" he immediately asked, his eyes boring straight into mine. Of all the ways I had imagined telling him, this was definitely not the way I wanted him to discover my list. So I decided to tell a little white lie.

"Yeah, just sat up the wrong way. I'm fine" His shoulders relaxed a bit, but his support of me didn't. I could go completely limp and still be in the same position I currently was.

"I meant to ask you about this last night, but you were so tired," I had no recollection of being severely tired, but then again, I had fallen asleep rather quickly. "Anyways, Alice had a vision of you running around the neighborhood last night. As I could basically run you anywhere, I was wondering why in the world you would be doing such a thing." His eyes were staring straight into mine again. It shouldn't have been as uncomfortable as it was, as his eyes were not accusing, just curious. Yet I still shied away from his gaze. He immediately became more interested, and pulled me closer.

"You can tell me anything Bella." Still, I was at a loss of words at how to tell him. Impatience radiated off his figure, but I could tell he was trying to keep it out of his face. Finally, I decided it would be easier just to start from the beginning.

"So, you know how I had horrific dreams Saturday night?" Edward nodded slightly, not relaxing his hold on me. "Well, part of the dream was about being a fat vampire, and Rosalie laughing at me." At this Edward somehow became even more tense.

"Bella, you are not fat. Don't even start. You are the most beautiful thing . . ." At this point, I put a finger over his lips.

"I know I'm not fat. However, it got me thinking. What if I had a toothache for the rest of eternity? Or a broken nail? One thing led to another, and I decided to start exercising." Edward then took a turn silencing me, and began to speak.

"But there isn't any need for that Bella. When you are changed into a vampire, you're body fixes itself. Did you think that Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie were all incredibly beautiful humans, without defect? Blemishes, small problems, all disappear with the change. Don't worry about them." He said this as if it ended the conversation. But I thought differently.

"The change also brings out your strongest traits and strengthens them. And well, I figured if I was a stronger, prettier human, I would be a stronger, prettier vampire. So, fixing the small things would make me better, more worthy of you." I looked into his eyes with conviction, trying to show him that I was doing this for both of us. He didn't seem to buy it.

"Bella, you are fine the way you are. I love everything about you. Please don't change yourself on my or anyone else's account." His hands wrapped firmly around both of mine.

"I'm doing this for myself too. Once you're a vampire, nothing can change. Case and point, Alice's hair. It is cute short, but she will never be able to have long hair. I don't want to be trapped with anything I don't like for the rest of eternity." Edward seemed to be trying to think of something to refute this.

"I see your point. But what does this have to do with exercising? You have the right amount of body fat."

"Well, I don't want to be a weak vampire, as you never know what sort of trouble I'll get into. Plus, I never really had the muscle definition I wanted." I stared pointedly at my flabby calves. Edward followed my gaze.

"You have amazing legs. And you won't need to be any stronger, as I will always be here to protect you." His last sentence, made me smile, but it didn't convince me.

"I think I am going to go for a jog now." His hold on my hands hadn't loosened, but I stepped off the bed, hoping he would let go. He didn't, but instead rose with me.

"Please don't worry Bella. Everything will turn out fine. You don't have to do anything." He eyes bored into mine, pleading.

"No, I don't have to do anything, but I will do everything I can." My reply was a bit snippy. I turned towards my closet to hunt up something to jog in. Edward let go of one of my hands in response, but kept tight hold of the other.

"Fine, but I'm running with you." He seemed slightly angry. At that moment, I found my sweats, and a t-shirt. I threw them on my bed. It was awkward with only one hand, but doable.

"Won't that be horrendously boring for you?"

"Yes, but I can't have you tripping over yourself out in that rain." The rain. That sure put a damper on my plans. As much fun as running was anyways, rain just made it ten times better. I could already feel the wet squelchy socks and the fast forming blisters. After this mini-revelation, I also reflected on the tone of his voice. Usually he was teasing when he talked about my tripping habit, but this comment almost seemed mean spirited. Abruptly, I turned and faced him, and placed my hand on his face.

"Are you okay?" My eyes silently searched his for an answer.

"I just wish you could see how truly beautiful you really are. How you don't need to change anything. All this worry, it isn't good. Even if you were 400 pounds, had buck teeth and cross eyes, I would love you. You're perfect, in and of yourself. Don't waste your time achieving what someone else thinks is better." Eyelashes and Eyebrows. Something else to add to my list. I pushed this thought away and kissed Edward softly on the lips.

"I love you too. This is what I think I need to do, for myself. Please just understand this."

"I can't. But I wont stop you." He replied, handing me my tennis shoes. After taking them and throwing them on the bed, I kissed him again. Finally, I stopped for a breath of air, and Edward pulled my body close to his.

"I need to change." I finally said. He understood, and went out into the hall. I threw off my pjs as quickly as possible and put on the sweats. When I was decently dressed, I opened the door and began putting on my tennis shoes. Edward walked in, holding my raincoat. Once my shoes were tied, I quickly brushed through my locks and put them in a sloppy ponytail.

"Ready?" Edward asked. Taking the coat from him, I nodded, and he followed me downstairs.

**A/N**: This chapter is a bit longer, and I updated sooner. Thanks especially to the nice long review I got, and the several others, and of course to my having no homework today (very weird) Anyways, enjoy, and please review and slash.


	16. Chapter 16: Makeover

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight.

Edward's hand grabbed mine just as my face began heading towards the pavement.

"Would you rather I bought you a treadmill?" He asked with great exasperation.

"No spending needless money! There is no way I'll be able to use that in a month." The wedding got closer every day. I was both excited and nervous. Sure, I was making the right decision, but was it too soon? Or too late? Images of black robes flashed through my head.

"Exactly. Which is why you shouldn't be running now." Edward said, pretending to jog next to me as a car slid past, splashing us both. My sweatpants were at this point entirely soaked through.

"What would you have done if I said I wanted to run because I missed exercising in gym class? Would you have let me jog?" Edward gave me an 'are you on crack' glare.

"Now if that were slightly believable in any form, maybe. However, as you are the biggest klutz, and have told me about your hate of gym consistently, there is no way on earth that would ever happen." I sighed, exasperated. Suddenly, the ground was closer to my face than normal, and Edward once again caught me. His sigh was even louder than mine had been. About a minute later, I was beginning to feel the strain on most of my leg muscles. So I turned on a road leading back to my house. We jogged in silence the rest of the time, Edward only catching me twice more. Inside the house was toasty and warm. A shiver rippled through my body, and Edward noticed. His arm went to my back, his other already lifting up under my legs. He got me upstairs quite quickly, carefully setting me on my bed.

"Here. Go take a warm shower and change into these." There was suddenly a change of clothes and towel hanging in front of my face. Shivering, I thanked him, and locked myself in the bathroom. Moving as quickly as my wet frame would allow, I slipped out of my clothes and into the hot shower. After warming up, I washed my hair, letting the thick layers relax in the wet. Then I shut off the water, and almost immediately felt the heat leave the room. Quickly, I toweled off and slipped on the clothing Edward had found. Of course, even though he was in a hurry he had found something that went almost perfectly. After brushing through my hair, I exited the bathroom. Edward hung back in the hall, as if afraid.

"Warm?" I nodded in affirmation. As I stepped closer, he motioned for me to stop.

"You don't want to hug me right now. I'm still cold and wet from outside." It hit me then that he didn't have any body heat to bring himself back to a normal temperature, and probably was colder than everything in the house but the freezer.

"You could have run home. I wouldn't have noticed, or cared." Well, assuming he got back before I finished showering, which he probably could have easily.

"I would have had to run through the rain again, or get my car, which would have caused me to get here after you got out of the shower. Anyways, I made you breakfast." He gestured down the stairs. Risking the cold, I kissed him lightly on the cheek and then hurried to the kitchen. There, sitting on the table, was a bowl of cereal with fresh strawberries on top. I quickly sat down and began eating. Edward joined, sitting across from me at the little table. He watched my every bite, but his eyes were slightly vacant, as if he were thinking deeply about something else. As I rose to put my bowl in the sink, he stopped me and grabbed the bowl.

"I'll take that." Milliseconds later the water was running, and there was a slight clink as Edward set my spoon and bowl in the dishwasher.

"So, what else did you have planned for today? I assume that running was not the only thing on your list of to dos." I blushed at the word list, picturing the paper up in my room. However, I regained my composure and replied.

"Well, I wanted to call my dentist and set up an appointment, and look for a nearby dermatologist. I also wanted to do some sit ups, but considering I'm all clean now, I'll put that off till before running tomorrow. Finally, I wanted to talk with Alice and see what she thinks I should do." Edward's face was hard to read.

"Okay, dentist cleans teeth, examines teeth. Your teeth are clean, as you've been brushing them thoroughly, and kissing prevents tooth decay. An examination doesn't change anything, therefore you can't benefit by going to the dentist. I don't even know why you would want to go to a dermatologist, as you don't have any acne or significant skin blemishes. You are well within your rights to talk to Alice, but I wouldn't wish her potential manicure party on my worst enemy."

"All the same, the first two can't hurt anything, and I think I can handle the last." I began rummaging through our important papers drawer for the dentist's number.

"Alright then. I'll go get the car so you can stay dry and visit Alice. You can call the dentist and dermatologist while I am gone." And with that he was gone. It was a bit unsettling, but I knew it wouldn't be long till he got back. After finding the number, I slowly typed in the digits.

"Dr. Bates Dental Offices. May I help you?" An unnaturally cheery voice answered on the other line.

"Yes. My name is Bella Swan, and I would like to set up a check up appointment."

"Of course. Are you a previous patient of Dr. Bates?" There was the sound of typing keys in the background.

"Yes, I had my last checkup a year ago." I probably should have had a checkup scheduled every 6 months, but I had never really worried much about my teeth before. No cavities, no gum pain, and my teeth all came out when they were supposed to.

"Ah, I see you here. You are way overdue for a checkup. Anyways, will next Thursday at 2:00 work?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"Alright hun. Goodbye now." Her voice was almost too happy. It made me wonder how much they paid her. I placed the phone back in its cradle. Now, where could I find a dermatologist? I decided to try a phone book first rather than wrestle with my horrendously slow computer. A cloud of dust filled the air as the book was removed from its remote corner. As I flipped through the pages, the house creaked. Charlie's house wasn't the newest, so it happened often enough. However, it scared the living daylights out of me. I almost jumped a full foot in the air. Edward wasn't here, and I wondered someone else was in the house. Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to keep the terror out of my voice.

"Bella! Don't you dare call a dermatologist. Edward is coming down there to pick you up right now. I can't believe you'll actually submit willingly to a makeover! This is going to be so much fun!" Alice's shrill voice was bursting with excitement. Relief washed through my body, as it wasn't some scary stalker dude, or vampire.

"Ok, Alice. But you can't go all out. I only have so much time left, and I don't want to spend it all doing my nails." The thought of a never-ending makeover party made me cringe.

"I still can't believe I didn't see this coming. I was planning to steal you a week before the wedding, but this will be so much easier! Edward is two seconds away, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" The phone line clicked off, and I walked outside just as Edward's car was pulling up. Quickly I scurried through the rain and climbed into his car. The heater was on, along with some jazz music.

"Alice called you, I presume." Edward said while backing out. I nodded. We spent the rest of the car ride in silence. When we reached the house, the front door flew open, with Alice practically vibrating with excitement on the other side. Edward opened my door, and kissed me, much to Alice's dismay.

"Come on! We have a lot to do, and not much time!" Edward broke off and smiled.

"You asked for this." He reminded me as we walked up to the house. As soon as I reached the door, Alice's hand grabbed mine.

"To the bathroom!" She carried me up the stairs, and plopped me in a spinny chair.

"What do you want to do first, face or nails?" Her tone was similar to someone asking for a murder confession.

"Face." I really didn't care. Alice immediately grabbed a brush and began combing my tangled locks into a ponytail. She then told me to close my eyes. Suddenly a variety of products hit my face in quick succession. Some stayed on my face longer than others, but I was done well within ten minutes. The last batch came off, and I began to open my eyes.

"Nope. Keep them closed till I say so. I'm going to pluck your eyebrows now, so don't be surprised by the slight pain." Her cold fingers pressed against my upper skin, and I tried to relax. Suddenly some one stabbed me with a needle. Well, not literally, but that's what it felt like. She moved quickly, and the distance between each pluck was infinitesimal, which made it worse. Why couldn't she wax them? Soon enough, it was all over, and my forehead smarted.

"Alright, I'm done! That hurt enough for one day." I began to get out of the chair, but Alice firmly pushed me down.

"First, nothing else we do today will hurt. Second, I didn't say you could open your eyes." As I shut my eyes once more, she rubbed something on my eyebrows, and the slight soreness almost disappeared. She pulled out my ponytail and brushed through my hair.

"I am going to cut your hair now. Don't worry, I wont cut it much shorter, and I wont do anything to damage it." The room was suddenly filled with the familiar sound of squirting water, and my head slowly got heavier. Alice's methodic strokes slightly massaged my head, and were extremely calming. Every part of my body was relaxed, when suddenly there was a loud snip. That sound had always bothered me, and I almost jumped 10 feet in the air.

"You okay Bella?" Alice asked, slight concern in her voice.

"No, I'm fine, I just never liked the sound of hair being cut. It has this dark, sinister feel to it."

"Oh. Well, I have the solution for that. Don't open your eyes1" Her last comment seemed to be coming from far away, but was still just as loud. All of the sudden something was pressing in my ears, and something slightly heavy landed in my lap.

"I bought this for Edward a while back, and I'm sure he wont mind you using it." Then my head was filled with Linkin Park, and I could no longer hear the offensive snips. Still, I was a bit on edge as I knew what was happening. What if Alice had a sudden inspiration, and cut my hair in a bob cut? Or something that would only work this decade? Worry gripped my stomach, twisting it into patterns that were wholly uncomfortable. I never should have agreed to this. The pull on my head ended, and even with the headphones I could hear the officious roar of the hair dryer. The music changed to something I didn't recognize, but had a 1950's feel to it. The music involved my interest so much that I barely noticed when Alice grabbed my hand and began filing my nails. The rest of the makeover passed in a similar way, until Alice saw fit to let me open my eyes.

"I haven't put any makeup on you yet, but I wanted you to see how much your appearance has improved even without all the fancy stuff. But you aren't going to leave this bathroom till I do. Anyways, what do you think?" The person in the mirror was not me. Some girl with gorgeous hair, even skin, perfect eyebrows, and an overall freshness stared into my eyes.

"It's amazing Alice. Thank you so much!" I ran my fingers through my hair, and discovered it was even softer than it looked. It made me wonder whether there was something other than just water in that squirt bottle.

"Oh, you aren't done yet. Close eyes again." As I complied, something began moving across my lips and then eyelids. There was a slight pat on each cheek, and then my chair turned.

"Open your eyes so I can put some mascara on you." Now my chair was facing the wall that did not have a mirror. It was hard not to blink as the black thing got so close to my eyes, but somehow I didn't close them. She smoothed a couple other things on my cheeks and forehead, and then turned me around one final time. The girl in the mirror was even more amazing than the last. She actually had a chance at being a model one day.

"Did you want me to do your hair? Edward is getting impatient, but if you want me to, I have some amazing ideas, and I'll make him wait."

"No. It looks wonderful the way it is. Thank you so much!" I forgot about the musical player in my lap and stood up to hug her. Before it could hit the floor she had grabbed it and was returning the hug.

"Always the klutz. Now go show Edward that there is a point to your arguments." It was then I noticed that the piano was playing downstairs. It was something I had never heard before. The second I stepped out of the bathroom, the music stopped, and Edward was there. He didn't say anything as he walked up, and then his lips were on mine. He was carrying me, and then we were in his room, still kissing. Eventually I broke away for some air, but Edward didn't stop. His lips were traveling down my throat, across my collarbone, then back to my lips. When I came up for air once again, he whispered in my ear.

"That was much too long. The few hours I spend away from you while Charlie is home are intolerable as is." I continued my labored breathing, my heart slowing down from its incredible rate. He lightly kissed me next to my ear, and pulled me down onto the couch with him.

"So, was there anything else you wanted to do today? We covered the three you mentioned this morning." I curled into his chest, shaking my head.

"Good." He said, kissing my forehead.

A/N: Alright, as was pointed out, this story is fluffy. Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. And I just told someone today how much I hate a certain book because it was so fluffy. So the next couple chapters are going to cover much more than the previous ones did (timewise) so I can move on and get to the plot already. Which I am slightly debating over how exactly it will happen, so if anyone has any ideas they would be greatly appreciated. Also, slashing is encouraged, as it's the only way I can get better, although I do love the nice reviews.  Oh, and this is my longest chapter yet. Yay for longness!


	17. Chapter 17: Dentist

A/N: I key is still broken

A/N: I key is still broken. And probably will be until I finish with the story with my luck. So, enjoy the spelling errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

The next week and a half with Edward played out in a similar way. I would work out as he watched, and then we would run around the neighborhood. Of course, he would always protest, but I could feel myself getting stronger, and something actually appeared when I flexed my legs. Afterwards we would go to the meadow, or hang out in his room. Once we went out on a double date with Angela and Ben. The days were magical, and flew by quickly. During this two week period Alice also bought me four or five skin products to use every night, better than anything a dermatologist would ever give me, according to her. My skin was a lot smoother, and all signs of a pimple or zit had disappeared within two days. At this point I was just crossing my fingers that all this work would help with the change, that it would mean those traits would be magnified, made better, or at least manifested themselves in a more than average vampire way.

Eventually, July the 4th rolled around. Not only was it a significant day in our country's history, but it was also my scheduled dentist appointment. This had worried me at first, as I assumed that a dentist would take July the 4th off. But when I called to double check, the overly happy secretary reassured me that Dr. Bates would be there. As his office was an hour away, by an average driver's standards, Edward and I left a half hour before the appointment. We spent the car ride discussing Alice's updates to the wedding, which I was becoming quite sick of, actually. I wondered why we hadn't just gone to Las Vegas.

"You don't have to do this, you know. Your teeth are fine, and I know that people often don't show up for dentist appointments." Edward offhandedly suggested as he parked next to the office.

"Don't be absurd. We are here, and it won't take much longer than an hour, if that." I still didn't understand why he couldn't understand that I wanted to be better, more beautiful, for him.

"I still don't like it Bella. You aren't doing this just to do it, or because you need a teeth cleaning. I think you look beautiful as you are. Please stop this obsessive never-ending makeover. For me?" No, he still didn't understand. I was doing it for him, and stopping would go against that. So I came up with an alternative.

"I don't want to keep arguing with you about this. So I'll make a deal with you. If I go to the dentist now, and you don't argue against the running or workouts anymore, then you can take me wherever you want tonight, no matter how much it costs." It was an offer I knew he wouldn't resist. I could almost feel the solid silver fork in my hand now, picking up some ridiculously expensive meal. But it would be worth it to be a happy couple again.

"Fine, as long as you remember that I do not enjoy said runs and workouts, both the process and reasons behind them, and I also get to take you anywhere at least one more night than tonight." He looked quite serious as he said this, staring deep into my eyes. I nodded, and he got out of the car. My door opened. As I stepped out, Edward's hand grabbed mine, and we walked into the office. Sitting at the desk was a lady with way too much makeup on. She smiled up at us.

"My name is Bella Cullen. I had an appointment at 2:00 today." I said to her, trying to ignore the outlandish green stuff on her eyelids.

"Of course. Just sit down for a moment." Edward and I sat down in the not so comfortable plastic seats. His thumb began caressing the back of my hand, sending a shiver down my spine. After about a minute, another woman walked out, and called my name. I let go of Edward's hand, and followed her down the hall. She pointed into a classic dentist's room. The folding automatic chair, the assortment of tools on one side of it, a sink on the other. My legs stuck to the leathery-plastic stuff the chair was covered in. The lady who pointed me in snapped a napkin around my neck, and from there began the series of mouth openings, biting downs, and swallows. Dr. Bates came in and inspected my teeth, found them quite satisfactory, and I was sent on my merry way.

When I emerged from the hallway, Edward was sitting there, waiting. I noticed his pocket bulged slightly from his music player. The same, I assumed, as the one I had listened to while Alice cut my hair. Even though I knew he had freakishly good hearing, it was hard to believe that he could have heard me coming down the hall while listening to music, and still had time to put the music player away. His warm greeting smile was heart-stopping, but somehow I continued to walk towards him. He stood fluidly, as if swimming, and grabbed my hand as we headed out the door.

"Aren't you going to schedule your next appointment? You were pretty lucky to get in on such short notice. Dr. Bates is an amazing dentist . . ." The secretary's annoying voice came out of nowhere. I turned slightly, quickly thinking up a plausible excuse to shut her up.

"No. I'm going away to college in a month or two. I'll find a new dentist when I'm there." There. Hopefully I would never have to speak to her again . . .

Edward and I reached the car, and he opened the door. I slid gratefully in onto the seat. He smiled, and shut the door. As we zoomed onto the interstate, my thoughts turned to the nearly immediate future.

"So where are we going?" The anticipation of a dreadful event began to chew away at my stomach. He flashed me one of the widest grins I had seen on him in a while.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." His expression was playful, and their seemed to be a lightness to his eyes.

"Fine. I'll let it be a surprise, which I hate. But I have just one request. Keep it inside Washington. Please? For me?" I couldn't give him too much free reign, or else I might find myself on a grand tour of Europe. The thought made me shudder. Lots of money, and less time to spend with Charlie before the wedding. Not a good combination.

Edward just nodded his compliance, and then pulled out his music player. He plugged it into his radio, which I also noticed had changed recently.

"Is that a new radio?"

"Yeah. Rosalie got it for me to go with the music player Alice bought me. She installed it last night. It's got all the latest features and such. However, all I really care about is that it plays almost everything but a record. Here, pick some music." Edward handed me the player, and I sorted through the massive amounts of songs. Over 30,000.

"How am I supposed to pick from all of this? I don't even think I could scroll through all the A's before we got to wherever we are going." He smirked slightly at this, and took the player from me.

"Here. I think you will like these." Angel's and Airwaves started playing. I wondered what he had been doing, as it took him several clicks and scrolls to get there, and Angel's was pretty close to the top of the Artists list I had been looking at. Still, I relaxed and let the music flow through me as Edward placed the music player in the pocket where he used to jam CD's. The next song was Starlight by Muse. I did an internal happy dance, and Edward seemed to know. His grin never disappeared during the whole otherwise silent trip.

All too soon, Edward parked the car. He got out, and then my door was opening, as always. I stepped out onto the pavement, and then turned around. There was only one thing to say.

"Oh my gosh!"

**A/N**: I know this is a shorter chapter, and it took me a long time to update, but hey, life has been hectic. Sorry. Plus this seemed like a really nice-cliffhangery place to leave off. Don't worry, I've got some ideas for drama that are coming up soon, hopefully, so this story wont get dry. Review please!


	18. Chapter 18: Penguin

A/N: I have not been to any of the places mentioned in this chapter, so I apologize beforehand for any inaccuracies

**A/N: I have not been to the place in this chapter for many years now, so things might have changed, or whatever. Plus, I read The Host in one night, and now have been semi-delirious the entire week from lack of sleep. But believe me, its worth it!  
**

**A/N 2: I got about halfway through the chapter, and then life exploded. I barely even had time to check my e-mail, let alone fanfics. So now I return, determined to finish this chapter out!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Or any chain restaurant/businesses.

Smiling down at me was a bright, childish mouse.

"You brought me to Chuck E Cheeses?" The awe and incredulity was apparent in my voice, and Edward laughed at my reaction. He was suddenly at my side, taking my hand.

"Where else could I possibly take you to waste a ridiculous amount of money, and still have you enjoy yourself?" He did have a point. While Chuck E Cheeses seemed like a cheap date, it really wasn't, with the overpriced food and the few tickets the games gave. And I also realized I probably would have been really mopey at any other place that had the appearance of costing more than 20 dollars a person.

We walked inside, and I was hit with a wave of memories. Images of being 7, and of the giant talking Chuckie filled my head as the too bright colors and lights washed over me. I remembered being so mad when my mom wouldn't let me have my birthday party here, and almost throwing a fit because Sarah's mom let her have anything. Edward guided me to the counter, hand around my waist, and ordered a pizza for me. Ham and Pineapple, my absolute favorite. Then he threw a couple bills in a machine, and it spit out a bunch of game tokens. He took my hand, and we walked together to the game section.

The next two hours were a blur. Edward and I never stopped laughing at my complete uncoordination, especially when I attempted Skeeball. Somehow I managed to get it in the rings only once. Of course, Edward almost got a perfect score, and then gave me all the tickets. My favorite game, however, was the spider game. It had always been my favorite, but it had been so long since I had played it that I had forgotten how fun it really could be. Despite its low ticket give out, I played the game over and over with Edward, stomping the red lights as they flashed. He beat me, obviously, but my score wasn't halfway bad. We played games for 3 straight hours, only pausing to eat the pizza we had ordered earlier.

At the end of the 3 hours, we had quite a collection of tickets. Edward went and got them counted while I took a quick trip to the restroom. While I was in the stall, someone came in, very quietly. Suddenly, a black cloak appeared underneath my stall. I almost began to hyperventilate, wondering how the Volturi got past Edward. The cloak passed the stall, and entered the one next to mine. I finished as quickly as I could, and quickly got out, even though I knew it probably wouldn't change the outcome. For a second, I debated whether to wash my hands or not. The thought of holding Edward's hand after not washing mine made me feel gross inside, and I thought about how I would feel if he did that to me (Well, if he could go to the bathroom). Anyways, if the Volturi had gotten this far, they would get me whether I washed my hands or not. So I set about washing them as quickly as possible.

The door to the other stall opened, and I drew in a sharp breath. The metal clanged menacingly, and it took all my courage to look in the mirror to see who was behind me. Instead of the stone white skin and hard red eyes that had haunted my dreams, there was a little girl wearing a nice set of round glasses that reminded me of some popular figure, but I couldn't place it. The relief that flooded through my body was overwhelming, and I gripped the sink firmly so that I wouldn't fall over. The girl smiled at me, and I tried to smile back. Eventually I found the strength to grab a paper towel and leave the restroom. When I was outside the door, I saw Edward waiting along with a huge stuffed penguin. He smiled as I walked into his loving arms, although the hug was a bit awkward with our new friend.

"What do you think?" He asked, tapping me on the side of the head with what felt like the point of its beak.

"It's amazing. I don't think I could have chosen better." His eyes danced with joy, and we walked back out into the main area, where there were suddenly 20 kids with black cloaks running around. Most of them were wearing the same glasses as the girl in the bathroom had, and a couple had a red scar on their forehead.

"Wow. I knew Harry Potter had a huge fanbase, but I didn't think it started so young." Edward commented. Suddenly it all clicked. Some little kid was probably having a Harry Potter themed birthday party at Chuck E Cheeses. Lucky kid. I debated whether to tell Edward about my big bathroom scare, but then decided that either way; it should wait for the car. I nodded toward his comment as we continued towards the door.

"You okay?" Edward asked caringly as we exited the building.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I stated, poking him with the penguin. He laughed, and opened my door. I slid in, and noticed the sun was hanging just over the horizon. Edward took my hand, already in the driver's seat. Soon we were on the road.

"So, where are we going now?" I asked with sincere interest. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't end the evening so early.

"It is July 4th. Would you mind going to watch some fireworks?" I nodded once again as his thumb rubbed against the back of my hand. However, his reply surprised me. Unless he had actually bought the fireworks himself, there was no way he could spend more than 20 dollars on the whole experience. I had given him complete permission to overspend, and he wasn't taking it. Soon, we were in a huge parking lot, and the world was filled with the sound of honking cars. However, Edward slid right into a parking spot with relatively little drama.

"I hope you don't mind the crowds. It was basically unavoidable if we wanted to be relatively close to the show." He gestured slightly at all of the chaos as we emerged from the car. As I came around the back of the car, he opened the trunk and pulled out a blanket.

"The crowds are fine." He smiled, placing his hand on my waist. We walked out to a large grassy area where many people were already sitting. After about a minute, we found a less dense area. Edward deftly spread the blanket on the ground, and I sat down. I felt his arms wrap around my waist, and I leaned into his chest. The sun had finally made its last appearance, and the sky was quickly darkening. We talked quietly of really nothing important, and then the fireworks began. I laid down, and Edward followed suit. Fireworks soon filled the sky with their thunder, and we became silent in response.

The night was wonderful, and ended too quickly. After the finale, Edward helped me to my feet, which was probably harder than it would have been with most people, as I stumbled and almost fell, and then didn't catch my balance for a couple seconds after I was on my feet. He laughed at my inelegance, but I didn't find it quite as funny. If there was one character trait I was glad the change was going to cover up, it was my clumsiness. Life would be so much easier if I didn't need someone holding on to me every other second so I wouldn't trip over my own feet. As we walked out to the parking lot, there were lots of other people doing the exact same thing. Instead of pushing our way through the crowd, Edward and I hung out near the end, meandering slowly. When we finally reached the car, Edward popped the trunk, and put in the blanket. I moved to open my door, but before I had my arm halfway up, Edward opened it.

"Thanks." I muttered, still trying to figure out how he had closed the trunk and gone all the way around to the front of the car so quickly, and without me hearing anything. On the drive home, we talked of music, and had a light, easy conversation. It seemed as if Edward was avoiding the heavy subjects of our marriage and the change, and I was fine with that. Eventually we made it back to the house. I glanced down at the clock, and realized it was 10.

"Crap." I said as I unbuckled.

"What?" Edward asked, intrigued.

"My father probably will not be happy with the time I am getting home at." I frowned slightly, expecting the tirade about my curfew of 9:30. Honestly, a ten year old boy had a later curfew than I did.

"Don't worry. I spoke to your father before we left, making sure he would be okay with us being out a little late so you could see the fireworks." He grabbed our new friend from the backseat, and emerged from the car. As we walked to the front door he handed me the enormous stuffed penguin. His flipper was soft, so I rubbed it between my fingers, relishing the silky sensation.

"I'll see you in a half hour." Edward whispered as we neared the front door. Gently he kissed my forehead, and then he was in his car. I waved around the penguin and entered the house. Charlie was of course waiting up for me. The TV beeped off, and a pair of arms rose above the couch, stretching.

"Hi Charlie," I acknowledged as he turned round to face me. He nodded in my direction, and from the red around his eyes I knew he was tired. It was only 10 though! Where in the world did I get a father who couldn't manage to stay up past 10?

"Did you have a nice night?" he asked in a drawling voice. It looked as if he was going to tip over.

"Yes. I got a new penguin buddy here at Chuck E Cheeses, and the fireworks were amazing. And my teeth are all clean and shiny." I had forgotten how much I loved the way my teeth felt after going to the dentist. I rubbed the back of them with my tongue constantly.

"Well, I think I will go to bed now." Charlie yawned just in the middle of now, making the word last for a couple seconds. I laughed. He had always looked kinda funny when he yawned.

"Don't laugh at me! If you hadn't stayed out a half hour late, I wouldn't be yawning!" He said as he slowly climbed the stairs. I watched his figure recede, and took the state of the kitchen. It didn't look like anything had been eaten in there. Had Charlie really gone out to eat by himself? Well, whatever. I would cook him something good for breakfast to make up for it. Wake up early. Maybe.

Before I left the kitchen I quickly flipped through the mail. There was nothing really for me other than your standard junk mail coupons and credit card offers. I snapped off the lights, and climbed up the stairs after Charlie. I showered, and brushed my teeth, still drinking in the amazing feeling of their cleanness. And of course I used all the products Alice had bought me. I had to admit, my skin and hair were in much better shape. I climbed into bed and awaited Edward. Without fail, the first snore from Charlie brought his entrance into my room. I told Edward of my plans to wake up early, and he promised he would wake me up. He also told me that the second date would be a week and a day away, on the 11th.

"I will warn you now. This one may be a little more expensive." I couldn't imagine how he could have gone cheaper than our date today. Well, he could have, but not much. Anyways, this worried me a bit. Once again I imagined the horrors of golden plates and forks and buying things that were entirely extravagant. Despite my anxiety, I was able to sleep dreamlessly in Edward's arms.

A/N: Alright, now the first chapter of the real version is out, and I already know some of my conjectures are wrong. However, I am going to follow my original outline, even if I don't finish this till a year after the book actually comes out (however, I am planning to finish it much, much sooner than that). Please review, and sorry for the horrible lengthy delay!


	19. Chapter 19: Call

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

The next morning Edward woke me up nice and early, and helped me with the first steps of making waffles and bacon. When Charlie woke up, he quietly disappeared after kissing me softly. At that point the waffle mix was ready, and I poured some onto a waffle iron that looked like it had only been used 3 or 4 times before. The smell of the sizzling bacon was intoxicating, and I figured it wouldn't be much longer until Charlie came rushing down to investigate. As if on cue, Charlie's bedroom door opened with a loud creak, and he slowly came down the stairs.

"Hello Bella. What smells so good?" Charlie asked while stretching his arms far above his head.

"Just some bacon and waffles. Would you mind setting the table and getting out the butter and syrup?" I inclined my head towards the fridge as I began taking the bacon out of the pan. Charlie nodded his assent, and soon the waffle iron was blinking that it was ready with the first set of waffles. I promptly pulled those out and poured another layer. I looked over, and Charlie had set the table, and even filled the glasses with milk. I placed the plates with the bacon and waffles on the table, and took my seat.

"So what's the occasion?" Charlie asked as he sat in his chair. He eyed the waffles and bacon warily.

"Oh, nothing special. I just felt bad about how much I have been leaving you alone for dinner lately. And well, I want to do that as little as possible before I go off to college." I smiled up at him as he took the first two waffles. I took the other two, and broke them apart. As I buttered and syruped my pancake, I made sure some of both landed in every square, one of the habits I had formed as a little child. I also ate my waffle in decreasing squares. One line of that side, one line off the other side, and back to a line off the first side, and so on and so forth. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit at myself. Here I was eating a waffle very particularly when I was officially an adult, who should have more important things to worry about if they were eating their waffle the 'right' way.

Charlie and I conversed a bit throughout the meal, only interrupted by me jumping up to get the second batch of waffles and pouring a third. It would be too much for us to eat, but cold waffles always made a good midafternoon snack. He seemed genuinely happy. Then we somehow got on the subject of Billy. Since Jake had treated me with such icy coldness I had decided to give him a bit of time before I called him back. Plus the dream I'd had 2 weeks ago still was affecting my emotions towards the situation. The girl with the long black hair. Anyways, Charlie and Billy had maintained their relationship, despite my horrible treatment of Jacob. Then as we were discussing their latest fishing trip, Jake's love life came up. Apparently some girl had come back from boarding school to La Push, and Jake was head over heels for her. This sort of explained his coldness towards me, if I had called after he had seen her. However, I decided that today would probably be the best time to check up on him while we were conversing.

Charlie left for work, and I cleaned up a bit, scrubbing out the waffle iron, putting the leftover waffles in the fridge. I got slightly mad at the syrup that was sticking to Charlie's plate for a bit, but it eventually relented to my will. As I placed the last dish in the dishwasher, Edward appeared at my side.

"How were the waffles?" he said as he handed me the dishwashing soap. I poured some, and handed it back to him.

"Amazing. Charlie enjoyed them. And I loved the bacon." I pressed start, and then turned into Edward's arms. As I laid my head on his chest, I asked him what we were going to do that day.

"I thought you were going to tell me." He remarked. I gazed up at him.

"Well running of course. But beyond that I didn't really plan." Was I supposed to? I didn't remember discussing anything like that last night. Just that Edward was taking me somewhere special next week.

"Hmmm. Well are you just going to let me take you wherever I want?" I immediately saw what he was hinting at. Another opportunity for him to spend a ridiculous amount of money. I quickly came up with a plan.

"Just kidding. We are going out to the movies. There has to be some good summer flick out. And we are going to Port Angeles. Nowhere anymore expensive." Edward chuckled at my defiance to spend any money.

"Alright. Well let's get you ready to run then." He quickly carried me up the stairs and deposited me in my room, treating me as if I were made of glass. Before I shoved him out, I kissed him lightly on the lips. Once my door was locked, I changed and we went running. Same drill as always. Lately I had begun running an extra lap around the neighborhood, and I didn't breathe half as hard as I did that first day. I just crossed my fingers that it would cross over into my vampire abilities. I still tripped just as much, and of course Edward caught me at every opportunity. Luckily there was only a slight drizzle, so my feet didn't get wet, and Edward wouldn't have to change too, as he occasionally did.

When we arrived at home I did some situps and other minor exercises, while Edward sat on my bed, observing. Finally I felt like I had accomplished a sufficient amount of exercise, and pushed him out into the hall again so I could change. After everything was on, I unlocked the door. Edward came in and scooped me up, sitting on the bed.

"So, even if we attended the matinee, we still have some time to burn. What were you planning for right now?" His eyes looked straight into mine, suspending all thought. Then I remembered the conversation this morning.

"Actually, I wanted to call Jake and see how he is doing. I haven't checked on him lately, and I feel kind of bad about it. And then I need to go grocery shopping." The last sentence I came up with out of the blue, as I realized a call would not fill up 3 hours of time. I didn't even know if we needed anything around the house. Then again, we probably did.

"Here is a phone." Edward said almost as I was done, producing his cell phone on the palm of his hand. I took it, surprised by his willingness to let me call Jake. However, I punched the familiar number in without saying anything. The phone rang a couple times, and then Jake picked it up.

"Hello?" His voice sounded a lot better than last time, hopeful.

"Hi Jake!" I said, in my happiest voice, not trying to damper his mood.

"Oh. Hi Bella. How are you?" While his interest seemed genuine, a lot of the excitement had gone from his voice.

"I'm doing great. How are you?" I crossed my fingers, on the side Edward probably couldn't see. Hopefully Jacob would tell me about her, so I could know he imprinted, and relax. What Charlie heard from what Billy inferred wasn't good enough for me.

"I'm actually doing pretty well. Sorry about my coldness last call. I was expecting, well, hoping for it to be someone else. Anyways, why did you call?"

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing." I didn't know how to bring up the subject without it being awkward. I mean, how do you ask someone if they have imprinted?

"Please don't worry about me Bella. I sorted some things out lately, and I think I can handle it now."

Inspiration struck. "Wait, you said you were expecting someone else to call. Who?"

"Ummm." I could almost hear his internal struggle. "Well, there's this girl. She's been at boarding school for the past year. We were really good friends freshman year, and well, when she came back this year . . ." He didn't seem completely comfortable discussing this over the phone either.

"I see. Well, has she called you since then?" I almost immediately regretted the question. What if she hadn't?

"Yes, and well, I think I am going to tell her about being a werewolf tonight." There was slight nervousness in his voice, something I had rarely heard.

"Good luck!" I was slightly at a loss for words, but thankfully Jake picked up the slack.

"I need to go. Sorry."

"Bye Jake."

"Bye Bells." The line clicked and went dead. I shut Edward's cell and handed it back to him. He smiled, and pulled me closer to him.

"Feeling better now?" I nodded slightly, and leaned into his chest. It surprised me that I was a bit jealous. I should be happy, happy for Jake, happy that my decision ultimately helped everyone. Well, except those who didn't know about the vampire world, like Charlie and Angela.

Edward seemed to understand my predicament a bit, and held me close for a couple minutes without saying anything. After wallowing in self pity for a minute or two, I pushed away the ugly thoughts with happier ones. Edward and I would be married soon. Less than 2 weeks! And then we could live together, and I wouldn't have to sleep anymore, and waste so many moments.

"Well, are you up for the grocery store?" Edward asked, stroking my arm.

"Of course." I said, standing up. Edward followed, and I tried to grab my keys off the table next to the computer.

"Please, let me drive." Edward said, restraining my arm. I made a pouty face, and he chuckled, and then kissed me. Next thing I knew I was downstairs and Edward was handing me my jacket. I sat down a bit huffily in his car, and then we were off. Nothing too exciting happened at the grocery store. I got all the supplies Charlie and I would probably need for the next two weeks. I made sure to grab my favorites. I only would get to eat for only a little bit longer, and I wanted to make these last meals the best. As we approached the counter, Edward started to pull out his wallet.

"No. You got to drive, I get to pay." I whipped out my card and handed it to the clerk. The bagger was some junior (I guess senior now) from Forks High, so we both said hi, but as I didn't remember her name, we didn't say anything else. Edward took the cart while I was distracted, so I was forced to walk behind him while he pushed. It wasn't even like Charlie and I even ate that much. I could have pushed it. Still, Edward insisted that he push the cart for me. I bet he would have even figured out a way to open the door for me while pushing the cart if they didn't open automatically.

We got home, and I unloaded. I made a late lunch, and Edward sat at the table, reading the newspaper. He offered to read something aloud, but I opted to have my own section to read silently. Once I was done, Edward opened to the movies page.

"Lets see. Port Angeles. One movie theater, two shows at a matinee time. Which would you rather see?" He handed me the page, and I quickly glanced at the ad. There was a new one out by Disney and Pixar that I wanted to see. Edward quickly agreed, and then we were off. Of course he managed to end up in the driver's seat of his silver Volvo.

A/N: Please slash! I need to improve my writing skills.


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